My name is Monica Monsalve-Rivera and I'm raising funds for my father, Jairo Monsalve.

Imagine going to sleep in a warm and cozy bed on a cold winter night, only to be awakened at 2:45 am with restlessness for no reason. 20 minutes later, you smell burning; you look and see smoke outside your backyard. Suddenly, the restlessness turns to fear and anxiety. As you look further, you realize there is a fire in your home. You wake everyone up and can't do anything about what's going to happen.

It's now 3:20 am; firefighters are on the scene and hard at work. Fire, smoke, and flames billow from your home. You look on helplessly as your life's belongings go up in flames. Photos, videos, your vinyl collection, clothes, treasures you've cherished for a lifetime. Furniture gone, memories gone, food, shelter, the warm bed gone. It's 15 degrees, you are wearing only the clothes on your back, no coat, no shoes, no hat or gloves. All you can do is cry and hold your family and thank God you are alive.

This is my dad's story. On Feb 4th at approximately 3:20 am, his home of 20 years was gone. He lost everything. I am asking you to find it in your heart to help with this GoFundMe for my dad. Any amount will help. Please, put yourselves in his shoes, since he only has one pair now. Join me to help him regain his dignity; he went from owning a home to homeless in a matter of minutes. Our goal is $5,000, but I pray we surpass that number since he will be displaced for at least 9 months. Thank you and God bless you.