John and Sue Toy Fire Recovery
Donation protected
On Mother's Day, May 10, our parents left home to visit our grandma and celebrate the holiday, never thinking that this would be the last time they would leave "home" as they knew it. As they sat down to lunch, they received a frantic phone call from a neighbor that smoke was billowing from the windows of their home. They started the 30-minute drive home with no idea what they would find. Greeted by four fire department units, they saw our lifelong family home in flames, with a loss of many items, cherished photos and videos, and most meaningful to them, 37 years of memories made as a family of five in a small home packed with so much love. Soon after, they learned of the loss of their pug/yorkie mix, Otis, and a pet cockatiel, and they were absolutely devastated. From this moment, life has been a blur for them.
The house is now boarded and additional steps are being taken to determine what insurance coverage might be available to them. They have started to explore steps in the process toward a livable home, which has been outlined as potentially taking a year or longer.
As we considered creating a campaign, we truly didn't know what was best. While we know our parents would, without a doubt, tell us that they will be fine and will push through as they always have without this type of support, we reflected on what we all love so much about them... their genuine kindness and commitment to always putting the needs of others above their own.
So many of our friends and family have reached out asking that we create a fundraising option to reciprocate the support that our parents have provided to many over the years, and we are so incredibly grateful that you share the same love for them as we do. Our hope is that these funds will provide them with a safety net that will help to alleviate some of their near-term worries and start them on the journey back to a "normal" life.
More than anything, we ask that you continue to reach out to them with words of encouragement and hope, and pray that they will have the strength to endure the difficult months ahead.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness and love for our family.
The house is now boarded and additional steps are being taken to determine what insurance coverage might be available to them. They have started to explore steps in the process toward a livable home, which has been outlined as potentially taking a year or longer.
As we considered creating a campaign, we truly didn't know what was best. While we know our parents would, without a doubt, tell us that they will be fine and will push through as they always have without this type of support, we reflected on what we all love so much about them... their genuine kindness and commitment to always putting the needs of others above their own.
So many of our friends and family have reached out asking that we create a fundraising option to reciprocate the support that our parents have provided to many over the years, and we are so incredibly grateful that you share the same love for them as we do. Our hope is that these funds will provide them with a safety net that will help to alleviate some of their near-term worries and start them on the journey back to a "normal" life.
More than anything, we ask that you continue to reach out to them with words of encouragement and hope, and pray that they will have the strength to endure the difficult months ahead.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness and love for our family.
Organizer and beneficiary
Gretchen Woodside
Organizer
Kittanning, PA
Susan Toy
Beneficiary