Kathleen and Jim lost their home in Brookeland in a devastating fire.

Thankfully, they both made it out safely, but the house is a total loss. They lost basically everything they owned, including their clothes, furniture, personal belongings, keepsakes, Kathleen’s truck, and sadly some of their animals.

The house also carried a lot of family history. It had belonged to Kathleen’s mother before them, so this was more than just a place they lived. It was a family home filled with years of memories and things that can never really be replaced.

Kathleen is a retired nurse and a breast cancer survivor. Jim served in the Marines and was badly injured in an accident years ago that left him disabled and unable to work.

They are wonderful parents and grandparents, and they have always been the kind of people who care deeply about their family and help others when they can. To our kids, they are GiGi and Pop Pop, and they mean the world to them.

They are also very independent and not the kind of people who are comfortable asking anyone for help.

That is why I’m asking for them.

They are now having to figure out where to stay, how to replace transportation, what they need just to get through each day, how to deal with insurance, and eventually how to rebuild a home and a life after losing almost everything at once.

Because Jim is unable to work and Kathleen is retired, this is not something they can simply recover from financially on their own. There are going to be expenses and needs that none of us can even think of yet.

The goal of this fundraiser is to give them some room to breathe while they work through all of this.

Anything raised will go toward temporary housing, clothing, food, transportation, basic necessities, insurance expenses, replacing household items, and helping them get back on their feet.

Their story was covered by local news, and I’ll include those links below for anyone who would like to read more.

If you know Kathleen and Jim, you know they would much rather be the ones helping somebody else than the ones asking for help.

If you are able to donate, we would be very grateful. If you can’t, sharing this with other people would mean a lot too.

They lost their home and nearly everything in it, but thankfully we still have them.

Now we just want to help GiGi and Pop Pop start putting their lives back together.

Thank you to everyone who helps in any way.

https://kfdm.com/news/local/just-in-man-in-wheelchair-escapes-fire-that-destroys-home?fbclid=IwY2xjawUpe6dleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mBWJyaWQRMTZrNEM0cXRHMEpPbXAyT0NzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeNanbjIUp-wljFhXuwPg97JkrRFS96PqA44TWajiK-P-0VVQ7JKvtvGxpmZE_aem_EK7A-g1yioUpXzyNw0YI0Q

https://www.kjas.com/news/local_news/article_2f5a37bc-bcfa-4ef0-9c50-57538bad4deb.html?utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwY2xjawUpfL1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR69jXoeZum8z_2yMCphF9DEwqwM-pCKJN5Su1lGQ9yklHGlwZwXn_J20FwEZA_aem_BBzKtnVQL9YwiNCTuaTrng

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpermalink.php%3Fstory_fbid%3Dpfbid02zihR2qGV9PF4y3cYPKcRHfwP4igYZT4HdMc2amb1D2ae2x7jEWvkcmpdPQJEAuGtl%26id%3D61570506514378&show_text=true&width=500"