Help Jenn recover from 2024 PDX Ice Storm Damage

Hi everyone, my name is Becca Bornstein, and I'm starting this fundraiser for my wonderful friend Jenn Joslin. Jenn was unfortunately impacted quite severely by the ice storm that devastated Portland and surrounding areas in mid January 2024.

On 1/13, a large tree from a neighboring property fell on Jenn's house, crashing through the ceiling and walls while she was sleeping. In addition to immediately making the space unsafe and uninhabitable (especially with the freezing temperatures and continued precipitation), considerable damage was done to her personal belongings. Jenn is an incredible artist who had numerous completed artworks, prints, and art supplies that were lost to this incident. This is not only very sad, but also problematic as it impacts Jenn's ability to make an income from her art. As if this weren't enough, a second tree later fell and did more damage to the house, and another tree also fell on her car and totaled it, leaving her without transportation for the time being.

It breaks my heart that Jenn is having to deal with all of this simultaneously - she's one of the most kind, thoughtful, and lovely humans you'll ever meet. To give a personal example: in June of 2017, I moved from OKC to Portland where I was going to spend the summer working as an Environmental Educator for the Audubon Society of Portland. I had family to stay with, but otherwise I didn't know anyone and was mostly unfamiliar with the area and the new challenges of working as an enviro. educator. Jenn was one of the first people I met during the orientation training for that summer job, and I was grateful for her friendliness. Our very first week of official work (3rd week of the job after training) was to be a 5 day camping trip to the San Juan Islands, and I was very intimidated as I had never really camped as an adult and didn't have any gear or know what to expect. Fortunately, Jenn was also in that group with me, and she offered for me to share her tent and show me the ropes. Being her camping buddy was my saving grace through all the new-ness, and I will be endlessly appreciative for how she supported me through that time and the weeks to come! It turned out that my time in Oregon was short-lived, but Jenn is the one friend I've kept in touch with (and had a chance to go back and visit!) after I moved away. It has been wonderful to see her continued growth as an artist over the years, and I'm honored to have some of her bird illustrations in my home!

Needless to say, this is a rough situation right now for Jenn (and her beloved doggo), and anything helps! Funds will go towards covering her immediate expenditures such as food, Uber, and necessities (in particular while she is waiting for insurance claims to go through, which will take some time given the amount of claims being submitted due to the winter storms), replacing items that aren't covered by insurance, and any other living needs as she reckons with this loss and the challenge of finding a new living situation. Thank you for extending your kindness and support to Jenn - she deserves it many times over!