Help Katie and Grace Recover From Apartment Fire

Thank you to Anna Martinez for having this idea.

Katie White and Grace McMahon moved into their first apartment together in December of 2021. Having recently graduated from SUNY Geneseo, Grace was excited to start her young adult life alongside her high school best friend. On the morning of February 15th, a fire broke out in their fifth story apartment. Grace and Katie were working at the time of the fire, pursuing dog-walking and pet-sitting full-time this past year. They are beloved by their clients and pour themselves into their pet care. The entirety of Katie’s room was destroyed, as well as their kitchen and living room. Grace was able to gather only some of her belongings, having lost more and all of her

bedroom furniture in the fire. Katie has virtually lost everything. They are left heartbroken and devastated. The American Red Cross has put them up in a local hotel, as well as given them prepaid cards. These resources will only last them for so long. They’ll have to be out of work in order adjust to being displaced, and to fully recover from this loss.

 

I met Katie during our freshman year at SUNY Purchase in 2015, almost ten years ago. We bonded over our shared love of fashion, live music, and pop culture. We’ve grown incredibly close since living in freshman housing together. I consider her, Kristen, Kassie and Kathy a chosen family. We’ve seen each other through so much in the past decade. And Grace I met after she and Katie moved in together in 2021. I understood immediately why Katie and Grace had stayed close for so long. When I’m able to visit them in the city, their energy is absolutely unmatched. I’ve never felt so unconditionally loved and accepted by people who weren’t blood relatives. I’ve been lucky enough to have travelled with Katie and Grace in the past couple of years, and wouldn’t trade those memories for anything. That’s why raising this money is so important to me, and everyone that has come to know them. These young women deserve to return to a space that provides the safety, warmth, and kindness they shine on others. They deserve to return to a sense of normalcy after such a tragedy. 

They’ll need all of our support in order to meet this goal. This GoFundMe has been organized in order to go towards paying for the first and last month's rent on a new apartment, as well as covering the down payment. We’d also like to be able to replace anything lost in the fire. And anything you’re able to contribute we’d be more than grateful for. We’ll be adjusting the goal amount while assessing their needs.

Thank you all!

Here is a link to a video assessing the damage:

https://youtu.be/HvHyuz2H6MU?si=Y2zBPekDEj2UPW9s