Sara and Sol escaped a house fire in Syracuse.  They lost all their belongings, including Sara's viola  (a gift her grandmother paid for over some years worth $18,000).  Sara is a student in the MFA program at Syracuse University.  She partly makes a living giving viola lessons, so not only has she lost her instrument, she has lost her ability to support herself and her son.  This fundraiser is to buy her a viola to replace the one she lost.