Katie's Fund!

Friends and family of Katie and Colin,

We are reaching out to friends and family of Katie and Colin in an effort to raise money to cover Katie's living expenses over the next year while she navigates through this extremely difficult time in her life . We can't thank you enough for your support thus far, and tell you how much every single card, note, text, email, etc., has meant to her. She has read every single letter, every single text, every single card - no message has gone unread (and usually more than once). She has said multiple times that it's these very messages that are helping her get through the hours and days that pass as she attempts to move forward without Colin.

We have spent hours on end thinking of things we can do and ways to help take Katie's pain away, as I'm sure many of you have as well. As you know, everyday "life" things don't stop when this kind of tragedy strikes. Living expenses are hard and stressful under normal circumstances; imagine having to think about these things on top of trying to figure out how to live your life without the one person who made everything seem possible. For Katie, this is especially hard, both emotionally and financially. As many of you know, they recently purchased their first home and were in the middle of fixing it up themselves (with Colin's expertise). Without Colin's work contributions, combined with Katie's inability to work right now, the expense of the house and everyday living is an additional fear and reality of this terrible tragedy. Currently, Katie has no way of covering these costs.

But this is one thing we CAN do for Katie. This is one pain we CAN take away. We can help cover these costs and take this one worry off her plate so she can focus on her health. Our goal is to cover her living expenses, including the mortgage, for one year. We know that's a big goal, but with the support of you unbelievable people, we know it's possible. The house is a symbol of everything that her and Colin have worked so hard for over the last seven years. It is quite literally their love child, and we know it would mean the world to her if she could keep it.

We are starting this fund without Katie's knowledge and hope to keep this private until we have reached our goal and can then present her with this incredible gift on November 16th, her birthday, and the day after Colin's service. If she knew we were doing this, she would refuse, which is of course why we need to keep it a seceret.  Consequently, we are not currently planning to post this on Facebook, so please forward the link to anyone and everyone that you think would like to show their support.

Please join us in donating, and thank you all for your continued support of Katie, Colin, and both their families during this difficult time.

-Friends of Katie