On September 5th, while driving home from school, Christine Street and Eric Wupperman’s children - Heidi (17) and Vince (14) were involved in a serious head-on collision on Highway 91. Both kids sustained serious injuries. After emergency surgery in Summit Co. Vince was taken to Children’s Hospital in Denver with a multitude of broken bones and internal injuries that resulted in 8 surgeries over 2 ½ days. Heidi was in hospital in Summit Co. with major concussion and head trauma, broken jaw and bruised carotid artery. After several days Heidi was flown to Children’s hospital with serious internal bleeding from a ruptured liver. After a week with both kids in ICU, they were declared “out of the woods” and have slowly begun their first steps toward recovery. Needless to say, they have a massive road ahead of them.

As the owners of Treeline Kitchen and Before & After, Christine, Eric and their family have cared for their beloved community of Leadville for many years. They’ve held fundraisers and holiday parties, wedding receptions and weeknight dinners. They have donated food and space and time to nearly every cause in Lake County, and have done so with open hearts. Heidi and Vince and their older sister Mia have taken our food orders, delivered appetizers, and cleared our tables.

They’ve laughed and celebrated and cried with us, locals and visitors alike, holding us up with chicken sandwiches and peanut butter cookies and beautifully garnished drinks. The restaurant industry operates with tight margins on its best days, and busy small-town establishments like theirs are no exception. With medical bills building at lightning speed, and months of appointments, treatments, and therapies ahead, the financial reality of their situation is staggering.

Now we, as their community, have the opportunity to alleviate a bit of that weight, stepping up to help bear this burden alongside them. The Street/Wupperman family has poured themselves into this town, loving and caring for this community. And now It’s our time to help, to shower them with love right back. Any contribution you can make, big or small, will help this family in their time of need, and that’s really what being a part of this community is all about. Thank you for your support.