Support Laura's Family Through Hurricane Recovery

You do what you can…

What do you do when one of your oldest friends and her family are displaced after a hurricane? When you live thousands of miles away and can’t be there to help? When they haven’t even begun to catch their breath but another huge hurricane hits?

You do what you can and, for me, you do this.

Laura and I have been friends since we were 15 years old and, given that I’ll be 46 next month, I’ll let you do the math. I don’t give up on people easily and, thankfully, neither does she. A LOT has happened over these 30-plus years of friendship, from the highs of celebrating weddings and babies, to the lows of supporting one another through heartbreak and loss; the effects of Helene (and to a lesser degree, Milton) and this gofundme are the next chapter in our story of friendship and support.

Laura and her family-especially her parents-have always treated me as though I were a member of their family, even opening their home and allowing me to live with them in Hilton Head one summer during college, as Laura and I worked to save money for school. Her parents now live in St. Pete, too, but thankfully they didn’t incur any major damage. This gofundme is my little contribution in hopes I can show all of them the kindness they’ve shown me for so long.

When Hurricane Helene hit recently, Laura, her husband, and their three kids were forced to evacuate their St. Pete home. They sandbagged the house and said a prayer but, unfortunately, water still found its way inside and flooded the house. It will take time and extensive repairs to make their house a home again; while they’re currently living in temporary lodging this is costly and not something they can do indefinitely. Sadly, for the Mackes and many others, things didn’t end with Helene, as Hurricane Milton made landfall in their area last week. Thankfully for them the damage from Milton was not nearly as extensive as Helene.

So, what do you do, whether you’re someone who knows the Mackes or someone who is looking to help with the relief effort? You do what you can. If you are able to donate monetarily, your gift will be gratefully accepted. If you aren’t in a position to make a donation, any prayers or positive thoughts and energy are more welcomed and appreciated than you know. Sharing this fundraiser and spreading the word is something for which I’d be thankful as well.

There is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety ahead. While Laura and her husband, Eric, work with their insurance company and FEMA, my goal is simply to make this process a little easier and more comfortable. For example, if this fundraiser can buy them one meal, I’d be thankful. If it can buy them another week in temporary housing, I’d be ecstatic. After that, if there’s anything that can be put toward repairing their home, well, there’s nothing more I could ask.

Laura has been named as the beneficiary of this gofundme, so all donations will be transferred into her bank account by her so she and Eric can withdraw funds as they need them.

Please, if you’re able, support this family in some way, monetarily or otherwise. If not, please pay it forward and show kindness to someone in your community. It truly takes a village sometimes and I simply ask one thing: for you to do what you can. ♥️