Jasper Wildfire Relief Fund for Cooper Family

Hi, my name is Morgan and I'm fundraising for my stepbrother Joel, his partner Irish, and their baby girl named Amari. Joel, Irish, and Amari are among the 20,000 individuals who were forced to evacuate Jasper last week, to escape the wildfires that have ravaged the area.

What happened:

Nearly 30 percent of the town of Jasper is completely destroyed by the fires, including Joel's workplace, the Jasper Raft Tours, and his small business office, Jasper Star Trails, where he offers specialized astronomy tours. Joel is out of work for the foreseeable future, as it depends 100% on tourism. Joel and his team won't be back to work until next summer at the earliest, depending on when tourists will be allowed back in town.

Joel's office and storage were burned down, which contained all of his business equipment, tools, and personal belongings. From telescopes, kayaks, mountain bikes, to his music equipment like guitars, amplifiers, samplers, and microphones.

Joel is an artist and all of his art supplies, artworks, and photography taken over the past 25 years were destroyed, as well as cassettes of musical recordings.

Joel, Irish, and Amari are staying in a hotel in Calgary, with other evacuees, waiting for clearance to return to Jasper where they will begin to rebuild their lives. The evacuation order could last weeks.

What now?

As of now, their family home is still standing but the fire is still out of control. It's unknown how the smoke and heat has impacted the home. When the evacuation order is lifted, they will return. It will take years to get back to where they were.

Joel and Irish have been focusing their time and energy on supporting their community. They are in Calgary helping friends and Jasper family get back on their feet. Irish is volunteering, helping fellow evacuees set up and remain comfortable. For example, they set up a free thrift shop of clothing donations within the hotel, available to those in need.

The family has enough baby supplies for now. Amari was born with a condition known as hip dysplasia, a developmental condition impacting her hip joint. For most of her life, little Amari has been wearing a hip brace. The family must go to Stollery Children's hospital in Edmonton (3-hour drive one way from Jasper or Calgary) every few months for medical exams.

How can you help?

I'm raising funds to help Joel, Irish and Amari stay safe and healthy and work towards rebuilding their life and home.

Life is expensive and with Joel out of work in addition to rebuilding their lives when they return to Jasper, they will need support. Funds raised would immediately go towards helping their family cover costs associated with accommodations, meals, transportation, personal supplies, and professional supplies required for Joel to reestablish his business to a point where he can resume work as quickly as possible.

Thank you for taking the time to read more about their story and thank you in advance for your support. Every little bit of support helps and even if you cannot support through funds, please share with others to spread awareness.