Help Rochelle Rittmaster Start Anew--Marshall Fire

When the devastating Marshall fire turned her home of 22 years to ash December 30, Rochelle Rittmaster was 35 miles away, in Denver, helping a friend. She was alerted to what lay in store by a worried friend who e-mailed her two short sentences: Where are you? Are you evacuated? Rochelle's home was one of 188 homes burnt to the ground in Superior's Sagamore subdivision in the most destructive fire ever in Colorado history.

Rochelle headed out the morning of the fire with the clothes she wore, the car she drove, the contents of her purse, and an I-Pad she planned to use to help her friend prepare some documents.

Now, after two weeks wading through the insurance process and adjusting to her new world,

Rochelle has had to come to terms with still another reality: Her insurance coverage will fall far short of what is needed to rebuild in Boulder County, where building costs were already sky high before the disaster and contractors were already booking a year or more out.

Rochelle is an altruistic giver. Having herself faced much personal adversity, she has a gigantic soft spot for others in difficult situations. She provides loving care for her 93-year-old infirm mother and other family members, she cat and house sits for friends, she was the "go to" neighborhood advocate in Sagamore, and yet she still managed to find time to volunteer for eight years as a Superior planning commissioner.

Now Rochelle needs our help. After careers in environmental geology, semiconductor technology, and data storage engineering and still adjusting to an unexpected downsizing, she faces the daunting task of reimagining the possibilities and reconstructing her life for the years ahead. Let's let her know she is not alone.

This GoFundMe was organized by Sandy Pennington, a longtime friend and fellow Superior civic enthusiast. Every penny donated here will go to help Rochelle rise above the ashes.