Project Joy
Donation protected
IMPACTED FAMILIES: Please share this Google Forms link (https://forms.gle/LZ3mSUdvLn9ui3zz6) to people you know who lost their homes so they can enter their information and we can work do distribute funds to them after we verify them and their addresses for authenticity of their claims.
I'm Wendy Cardona, the Surgical RN who took this picture during my shift at Good Samaritan Hospital, which tragically turned out to be during the onset of the Marshal Road fires here in Colorado. As I took this picture, I was worried for my home in Boulder. I felt sadness and disbelief at the destruction as it unfolded. I kept thinking about mental health and how this might be someone's breaking point where they feel they can't move on from this. I know this is going to be very difficult to process and the victims will need any and all methods to get through this traumatic event.
This picture has generated a lot of attention across the Internet. The Marshall Road fires devastated the Louisville / Superior, Colorado communities. As a society, I feel we were just beginning to gain traction on normalcy after nearly two years in a pandemic and one ugly curve ball after another. Now, as this picture shows, we have countless numbers of people left in shock and disarray after having so quickly and violently lost everything from their businesses, to their homes, precious memories and even beloved pets. I want this picture not to be remembered for the tragedy it depicts, but rather for the community it brings together. A community that lifts those we do not even know up as best we can to help get the victims through this.
Another subtly that I do not want to get lost in this picture is the brave men and women it shows answering the call to action. You can see ambulances lined up outside of this hospital to take patients out of harms way to the safety of other medical facilities. This same response played out at many hospitals in the evacuation zones with many other medical professionals. Further into the scene are numerous other EMT's and paramedics heading toward the flames to be of service along side the fire fighters and police officers on station battling to contain and control the flames and to try to serve the community. As we are grateful to all of those in our armed services, past and present, so too do we need to be grateful to all first responders for their selfless actions in times of tragedy.
Putting it bluntly, this is trauma for those whose lives are forever affected and altered from this tragedy. This trauma is the point of my desire to start this GoFundMe. Being all too familiar with the mental health effects a trauma can cause, there have been many times where I felt I wouldn't be able to dig myself out of a pit. In those times I resorted to my arsenal of tools that I knew brought me joy, such as listening to the same song a million times with my favorite headphones, finding a great fitness class to attend, hugging my Bella bear, taking a long drive in silence, etc. Those moments of joy and happiness also gave me a sense that everything will be OK. While it may seem simplistic in the face of this tragedy, being able to find any amount of joy is immensely important.
I'd like us as a community to help those who have lost so much be able to find little bits of joy again after this tragedy. I want this campaign to offer the opportunity to those who have lost so much to be able to replace an item that would bring them joy, whether it be a yoga mat, favorite running shoes, headphones, a favorite anything that would bring a moment of joy as it once did before this tragedy. Joy is what has helped me through times where I felt I couldn't keep going. I see this as a moment where we as a community can help lift others up who have lost so much, many indeed all, and bring small measures of joy to them as a method of healing.
100% of all monies raised will go directly to victims of this tragedy and will be documented on @ridingthewendywaves on IG. I will also post a ledger of how money is spent along with people's stories. If all contributions are not allocated by March 1st, the remaining balance will be donated to a victims relief fund designated by the towns of Superior and / or Louisville.
I'm Wendy Cardona, the Surgical RN who took this picture during my shift at Good Samaritan Hospital, which tragically turned out to be during the onset of the Marshal Road fires here in Colorado. As I took this picture, I was worried for my home in Boulder. I felt sadness and disbelief at the destruction as it unfolded. I kept thinking about mental health and how this might be someone's breaking point where they feel they can't move on from this. I know this is going to be very difficult to process and the victims will need any and all methods to get through this traumatic event.
This picture has generated a lot of attention across the Internet. The Marshall Road fires devastated the Louisville / Superior, Colorado communities. As a society, I feel we were just beginning to gain traction on normalcy after nearly two years in a pandemic and one ugly curve ball after another. Now, as this picture shows, we have countless numbers of people left in shock and disarray after having so quickly and violently lost everything from their businesses, to their homes, precious memories and even beloved pets. I want this picture not to be remembered for the tragedy it depicts, but rather for the community it brings together. A community that lifts those we do not even know up as best we can to help get the victims through this.
Another subtly that I do not want to get lost in this picture is the brave men and women it shows answering the call to action. You can see ambulances lined up outside of this hospital to take patients out of harms way to the safety of other medical facilities. This same response played out at many hospitals in the evacuation zones with many other medical professionals. Further into the scene are numerous other EMT's and paramedics heading toward the flames to be of service along side the fire fighters and police officers on station battling to contain and control the flames and to try to serve the community. As we are grateful to all of those in our armed services, past and present, so too do we need to be grateful to all first responders for their selfless actions in times of tragedy.
Putting it bluntly, this is trauma for those whose lives are forever affected and altered from this tragedy. This trauma is the point of my desire to start this GoFundMe. Being all too familiar with the mental health effects a trauma can cause, there have been many times where I felt I wouldn't be able to dig myself out of a pit. In those times I resorted to my arsenal of tools that I knew brought me joy, such as listening to the same song a million times with my favorite headphones, finding a great fitness class to attend, hugging my Bella bear, taking a long drive in silence, etc. Those moments of joy and happiness also gave me a sense that everything will be OK. While it may seem simplistic in the face of this tragedy, being able to find any amount of joy is immensely important.
I'd like us as a community to help those who have lost so much be able to find little bits of joy again after this tragedy. I want this campaign to offer the opportunity to those who have lost so much to be able to replace an item that would bring them joy, whether it be a yoga mat, favorite running shoes, headphones, a favorite anything that would bring a moment of joy as it once did before this tragedy. Joy is what has helped me through times where I felt I couldn't keep going. I see this as a moment where we as a community can help lift others up who have lost so much, many indeed all, and bring small measures of joy to them as a method of healing.
100% of all monies raised will go directly to victims of this tragedy and will be documented on @ridingthewendywaves on IG. I will also post a ledger of how money is spent along with people's stories. If all contributions are not allocated by March 1st, the remaining balance will be donated to a victims relief fund designated by the towns of Superior and / or Louisville.
Organizer
Wendy Cardonuts
Organizer
Boulder, CO
