A Lifetime of Giving, Now in Need: Help Needed After a Devastating House Fire

Today, my mother, Deanna R.C. lost her home in Redwood Valley to a devastating house fire. Everything she built since 2002 (and before) was gone in an instant. My mom has spent her entire life helping others without ever asking for help for herself.

As a single mother, she raised me and my siblings in Talmage while running a daycare for 14 years, caring for other people’s children as if they were her own. For 25 years, she opened her home and her heart as a foster parent, giving countless children a safe place to go. Over the last decade, she has supported hundreds of families through a free clothing exchange so that children never had to go without clothes or shoes for school. She helped with the fruit business for several years in the valley.

When someone in need called, she was always there—whether it was holding a garage sale to raise money for another struggling family, donating two years in a row to the Disaster Resource Center to help match funds for fire survivors, or volunteering to make sure others had what they needed.

Today, she became a hero in her own story. When the fire broke out, she managed to rescue two special-needs adults—one she was caring for and the other, her adopted child—getting them safely out of the house before it became a total loss. One of them had mobility challenges. She kept them low to the ground under the smoke to prevent inhalation and then used a laundry hamper to roll them out of the house and into safety. Her quick thinking and bravery saved lives.

Sadly, she lost all her chickens and turkeys, her two dogs, and one kitten. Just a few minutes ago, we were blessed to see her outside cat alive as it passed by.

Despite losing everything, she still struggles to ask for help. That's why I am creating this GoFundMe - to help with her immediate needs as she begins the long road to recovery. In disasters like this, the recovery process can take years—sometimes one to three even with insurance—before stability returns. Anything you can give will make a difference. And in true fashion, anything she doesn’t need, she will gladly donate to someone else in need.

All funds will support Deanna & her family. She will be the sole beneficiary.

Thank you for any support, prayers, or shares during this incredibly difficult time.