Dear friends, community, and allies,

My name is Sara. I am a solo mother to two incredible boys. I have walked through leaving an abusive marriage, enduring a years-long custody battle, and rebuilding my life from the ground up - all while fiercely determined to heal complex PTSD and a brain injury. The last few years have tested every part of me — and yet I rise. Through it all, my deepest devotion has been to protect and nurture my children, breaking cycles of harm and anchoring a new way of living rooted in love, sovereignty, and wholeness.

This fundraiser was created several months ago when it became clear that our prior living situation was no longer safe for our family.

After many months of searching for a new home which is why this page was created in the first place, we landed in a seemingly perfect home. Within several weeks of being in the new home I began having severe respiratory symptoms, migraines, inexplicable digestive issues and the most intense fatigue Ive ever experienced. Luckily, we are resourced with an amazing functional medicine doctor who was able to run some tests on me and my oldest son and confirmed that we were experiencing black mold (aspergillus) exposure. I immediately went home and purchased mold tests which confirmed there is mold on every floor of the house.

It has become clear that in order for our bodies to heal, we have to remove ongoing sources of exposure.

Unfortunately, this means replacing essential household items that can’t be safely cleaned once contaminated — including mattresses, bedding, and upholstered furniture — along with covering medical care and remediation-related costs that insurance does not cover.

This has been emotionally, physically, and financially overwhelming, especially while trying to care for my sons on my own, continue getting the non profit off the ground and maintain stability while experiencing such intense physical symptoms. I'm not sure why this is happening and honestly it's been hard to hold onto hope a lot of days.

We’re asking for help to:

Any contribution — or even simply sharing this page — means more than we can express. Your support helps us create a safe environment where healing is actually possible.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for standing with us during a season we never expected but are moving through with as much grace as possible.

With deep gratitude,

Sara & family

My vision is not only for a safe home, but to anchor the foundation of my two soul businesses: The Berkana Mama Foundation - a nonprofit devoted to supporting women and families in leaving abusive situations or healing from sexual violence and creating sovereign, thriving lives and The Grove Collective - a community ecosystem providing children's programming, land stewardship, and soul-rooted service. Our new home will be the seed ground where this work continues to grow.

If you feel moved to contribute, please know that your support is a direct investment in breaking cycles of harm and in creating a safe, loving, and sovereign life for my children and me. Every contribution, no matter the size, is received with deep gratitude.