Hi, my name is Shelby, and I am fundraising for my neighbors, Charlie, Audra, Otis (3), and soon-to-arrive Baby Boy. On Monday, September 12, 2022, Charlie & Audra's home tragically burned and they lost everything including their beloved great dane, Rosie, and two cats. Audra is 9 months pregnant and due with their rainbow baby at any time. I invited Charlie, Audra, and Otis to stay in my home while they figured out temporary housing, and getting to know this family has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. We had never said much more than a friendly "hello" to each other since we moved in, but they have become instantaneous best friends to my family.

The scope of their loss is unimaginable. They left their house to run to the grocery store and came home to their lives forever changed. As a mother, I can sympathize so much with the vulnerability a family feels when a new baby is about to enter the world and to be in the thick of those emotions and then literally lose everything, including absolutely beloved pets, is something I have struggled to wrap my heart around. I am broken for them. I have seen them wake up everyday (from very little sleep) and put one foot in front of the other with a humbleness, sincerity, and grateful attitude that few possess even on the best of days. They are truly an inspiration.

Soon their new baby will be entering this world, and I want to offer as much help and security possible as they navigate the stress, expense, trauma, and change over the next year of their lives. I know this family will come out of this situation stronger and somehow even better people than they were before, but they deserve all the support they can get during this time. I will add updates once Baby Boy has arrived earth-side.

With true sincerity, thank you.

Shelby