My name is Ali, and I am raising support for my dear friend Tisha Nickerson. Just six days after officially opening her dream business, The Scribble Spot — a creative space where everyone is an artist — an electrical fire destroyed everything.

To understand why this matters, you need to know who Tisha is.

I met Tisha on February 4th, 2019 during orientation at Navy Federal Credit Union. Two complete strangers, wanting something more for themselves, took a leap of faith for a career change.

We sat with a large group of people for three days being introduced to different people in leadership, explored Navy Federal’s culture, etc. As people often do when you start a new job, you might find yourself gauging who you’d like to sit with at lunch. I saw Tisha eating by herself, and since I too was by myself, I sat with her.

On day 2 of orientation, Tisha and I were eating lunch together when she told me she'd met another new hire — someone going through personal struggles and had to move from their home abruptly. Tisha said, “They could stay with me, but it would take me some time to get things prepared because I don’t have enough room at the moment.”

I remember staring at her like she was crazy, thinking to myself that she actually was and I made a mistake sitting with her at the lunch table. Who offers their home to a stranger after one day?

Tisha does. And I did not make a mistake. And she is not crazy. She simply knows no stranger, asks no questions, and wants to help.

On day 3 of orientation, the last day, it was time for the group to be split for which department they would be going to. Tisha and I both applied for the Fraud department, which meant we’d be together for the next 6 weeks. Training consisted of many emotions, events, and honestly I don’t know how we made it but we did. I didn't know it then, but I will forever be grateful for the day of February 4th 2019.

Within months at Navy Federal, August 3rd, 2019 to be exact, Tisha curated a program called “Sponsor-A-Teacher” where teams in the Fraud department were able to pick a teacher from Sherwood Elementary School in Pensacola, FL to donate needed classroom items. Tisha had made an apple tree out of cardboard to actually “pick” an apple from with a different teacher and their supplies on each one. Anyone who'd walk onto the Fraud floor would see a 6ft green tree in the middle and think, “What is that?!” She sparked curiosity immediately, and everyone wanted to contribute — and everyone did.

Over the years, Tisha and I became best friends. In 2020 when I got covid, she was the only one who came to my apartment to see me. She came with only the best, a Buckey’s gas station sandwich. Mind you, it's an hour drive there and back from where we live. She also brought her own homemade holistic "potion" since over the counter meds weren't working, and then made a pulley system with some rope and a basket so I could pull it all up to my second floor balcony. She stayed downstairs and I upstairs to be safe, but she still came. She still stayed.

I literally can’t count how many times Tisha has been there for me personally, no ask too big.

I also can’t count and literally don’t know everything Tisha is involved with in terms of the community. She is the Grinch at Winterfest one day, the next day she is an elf, yesterday she made ukuleles with seniors, tomorrow she’s creating and painting bookmarks with children, next week she visits dementia patients, the following weekend she is feeding people at the mission, and it goes on.

Her most recent personal accomplishment, was writing a book titled Worthy's Way Back. On the back of the book, there is an "About the Author" section that reads, "Tisha Nickerson lives in Pensacola, Florida, where she loves to doodle her dreams and truly believes in the healing power of creativity. She wrote Worthy's Way Back to help anyone - kid or grown up - rediscover their spark when life feels overwhelming. With each book sold, Tisha moves closer to establishing a community art studio dedicated to fostering a sense of belonging for anyone."

You see, this was always the dream.

After approaching nearly seven years, Tisha made the difficult decision to resign from Navy Federal in October 2025 due to unforeseen medical reasons. With that difficult and terrifying decision, she had hope to pursue her real dream of creating a business of community and art. Again, this was always the plan, the dream, but it came sooner than she thought. Nonetheless, in that hope, The Scribble Spot was born.

Tisha found a unique space in downtown Pensacola that served as both her home and the heart of her new business. With help from friends, we worked quickly and tirelessly to get it ready. On October 25th, 2025, Tisha opened her doors to the public for a Halloween Social filled with games and art. Children colored for prizes, decorated trick-or-treat bags, and families came together - all for free. It was more than an event; it was Tisha's way of giving joy to a community she's always cared deeply for.

However, on October 31st, 2025, Halloween night, Tisha’s world collapsed when an electrical fire started in the attic, directly above her bedroom. Her belongings and living area were completely destroyed. The fire department came and doused the house, where the ceiling then came crashing down ruining the art room, officially called Worthy's Creations. Fortunately, no one was hurt, Tisha’s cats were found safely, and friends and family came together the next day in an attempt to salvage what little was left.

Tisha poured every ounce of her heart—and every dollar of her savings—into building The Scribble Spot. Most people chase dreams for themselves, and that’s perfectly okay. But even in Tisha’s dreams, she was thinking of others.

Of the community.

Of you.

Of me.

Of anyone who needed a place to feel seen, inspired, and supported.

Thank you for reading this story and for simply being here. This journey has been has been full of challenges but also moments of hope — and your support means more than words can express. Whether you choose to donate or share this with others, please know that your kindness will help Tisha move forward, one step at a time, to rebuild her home and her dream business. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.