Hi everyone, my name is MacKenzie and I'm hoping to raise money for my dad, Rich Koester's, ranch that suffered tremendous livestock losses due to the Russell County wildfire disaster that occurred on December 15, 2021. My dad is the hardest working person I know. Our family's Paradise Ranch has been his pride and joy for decades while my dad has raised his livestock from the ground up. Unfortunately, during the 100+ mph winds our generational family ranch caught fire in the storm causing our dad to lose the cattle that he and my mom depend on for their livelihood.

 

I can't stop crying as my parents document their losses - pregnant mothers, newborn calves, moms that tried to shield their babies, and images that show just how hard our animals fought to save themselves from the flames and smoke. When looking at our family farm, I see a landscape that brought me so much happiness, overnight turned into a nightmare that we only want to forget. We considered including pictures of the loss we've described, but the images are honestly too horrifying to share. Instead, the picture we used as our main picture is one of the lucky ones, one of our survivors, and we intend to be the same.

 

We are doing everything we can to weather this storm, but are asking for help as we rebuild from these literal ashes. Our dad at 65 cannot do this alone and we want to rebuild so our farm can stay in the family for decades to come. If you have a dollar or two to spare this Christmas, please consider helping my family or donating to the other dozens of families in our area that have had their lives upturned from this tragedy. We love all of you and we will come out of this on the other side together.

 

Merry Christmas,

MacKenzie

(Below is a photo of my Dad and his favorite boy Gibbs on their way to survey the damage today)