****The Martel Family is in urgent need of financial assistance, having been displaced from their home since Feb 2021, due to a devastating toxic mold infestation, which has required a near demolition.  Due to the continuous depletion of their life savings and credit, they are now projecting they will be further displaced from their temporary home (a hotel) in July 2021, rendering them homeless. Since work on the GoFundMe page started in March, the Martels have suffered additional setbacks – homeowners insurance rejection of their claim, continuously mounting expenses around demolition and rebuilding of their house, realizing some of their belongings have incurred damage while in storage (in addition to the large furniture items which had to be discarded due to mold exposure), and a flat-out refusal of the seller/builder (a LLC comprised of a local mortgage broker and contractor) to offer any willingness to help or admit wrongdoing. PLEASE take the time to read the Martels' story below and donate – whatever you can – today!****

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Imagine the perfect home for your family. Imagine planning, saving, and sacrificing, actively house hunting for two years, to make it a reality. Trusting that the local mortgage broker, his wife, and the local builder who sold you the house are as credible as they appear to be. That the newly renovated interior is as sound on the inside as it is on the outside. Imagine moving in. Furnishing, designing, decorating your space. Making it yours. Cooking in the kitchen, celebrating birthdays and holidays, watching as your daughter gets taller with each month that goes by. Starting preschool, then kindergarten, then first grade. Thinking about what a wonderful older sister she will be, as you intend to bring another baby into the family. For one, two, three years, it doesn’t come to fruition…inexplicably, because getting pregnant always had come blessedly easily, with your adult child, and with your 7-year-old. Imagine living a healthy, conscious life in that house – mindful that the food you eat and prepare for your family is whole and healthy; intentional about bringing positive energy into your space; purposeful about how you live your life, with kindness, integrity, and generosity.

Now imagine noticing changes in your health over the three years since moving into your home. Experiencing a gamut of strange and alarming symptoms – eczema, debilitating headaches, lung and sinus congestion, chest pains, menstrual cycle irregularities, changes in mood, lack of focus, and slow injury recovery. Not believing or even wanting to entertain the idea that this house, your home, may be slowly killing you. You acknowledge the mold that has been discovered and remediated, but you don’t want to admit that it’s been getting worse over time. First there was September 2018. After having symptoms of illness for six months, toxic mold in the attached garage wall – opposite the home office and laundry room you spend so much time in – is discovered and remediated. Then comes October 2019. An investigation of a plumbing issue reveals high levels of mold in the walls, flooring, and ceiling of the finished family room in the basement. Imagine finally getting this round of mold remediated (after a painful yearlong wait due to COVID restrictions) in time to have a sweet, quiet Christmas at home. A bright light in the dark pandemic winter of 2020. Finally, a reprieve.

Imagine then, in late January 2021, discovering more mold in the dining room, living room, and master bedroom ceilings. Knowing this couldn’t be good. Being proven right in February, when toxic mold – the really, really bad kind (Stachybotrys and Chaetomium) – is also found in all drywall seams of your home. Being told you need to leave immediately because it is no longer safe for you and your family to live there, and that your house needs to be demolished down to the studs and rebuilt. Understanding that your trust was betrayed and you are in serious debt, with an estimated $180K+ in total costs: inspections, demo (all ceilings and walls of house), remediation, rebuilds, re-insulation of entire house, dumpster rentals, plumbing, electrical, kitchen cabinets and bathroom, moving, storage, hotel, replacement of items that need to be discarded…60% of the purchase price. But worst of all, realizing you lost three precious years of optimal health, vitality, and opportunities to conceive and welcome a healthy baby into a safe home environment.

Imagine you are Jen, Andy, and Emma – living in a hotel for the foreseeable future, being crushed by the financial and emotional impact of becoming displaced from your home, the ache of knowing your family is not complete – but through all of this, believing that this will all turn out as it is meant to. To know Jen and her family is to love them. No one should have to go through what they are experiencing, but especially this family. They have been so good to the people in their life. Now it’s our turn to support them. Please give whatever you are able to – NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL! Let’s wrap the Martel family in love and provide as much support as we can as they navigate this traumatic situation. Any donations will go directly toward the rebuild of the Martel Family Home. THANK YOU!