Our dear friend Velma Maronie needs our help and needs it now! This selfless, powerhouse of a woman, soup master, dancing machine, music lover, hard worker, open minded friend to all, well of positive energy turns out to be human after all. Toward the end of last year while visiting family in Pennsylvania Velma had a stroke and heart attack. While being treated doctors discovered a mass on her liver that is cancerous. After treatment one of her two sons flew in from Spain to drive Velma back to Chicago which has become her home over the last couple decades. Since her return to Chicago Velma has suffered yet another stroke. Chemotherapy will start as soon as possible. 

This amazing, independent  woman is holding strong but needs our help! Velma has touched so many lives and we all want to help her through this tough financial time. Not only is this is a triple whammy of medical bills coming at her unexpectedly, but all at once. Our goal is to help her with medical bills and make sure she can keep her apartment and live her best life through this transition. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a person to go completely broke from this type of event- we will not let this happen to our V! Velma did not give 110% at every job and make every person at those jobs better for knowing her just to have all the fruit of her hard work stripped away. Velma is 60!  She has many years ahead of her and we want them to be as amazing as the first 60, not a life of debt and struggle. Please help! 

A little about Velma...

Velma was born on July 16th in Portsmouth, Dominica in 1959 to Eudel and Terry Maronie. She is 5th in a line of 7 children! 

She was always called the "sporty" one in her family as she competitively represented Dominica on the world stage playing netball (look it up its awesome ! ) throughout the Caribbean. 

Velmas drive to create, better herself professionally, and help her family brought her to the United States. She took 2-3 jobs at a time to learn everything she could about all different types of cuisines and to send money back to family in Dominica.

Velmas talent and eye in the kitchen made her extremely popular, not to mention she literally charmed everyone she worked with immediately. I can speak from experience and say that a quick visit with Velma mid shift could turn your day around in a heart beat! She is just one of those people. I dare you to try and have a bad time within eye shot of this woman. 

Please contribute early an often! 

Thank you,
Cassandra, Annie, Kristina and Winter ( and countless others! )