Ten Beds
Donation protected
A wonderful thing happened to me a year ago: A fire destroyed the home of Lee and Casey Ellis, and their eight (and a half) children. Devastating as it was for her, I had the privilege of getting to know this wonderful, upbeat lady and her beautiful family; a chance I would never have had were it not for that fire. In October, a few months after the fire, their newest arrival was welcomed into the family.
Disasters happen all the time to people who are not prepared, and it is truly a tragedy. In this case, Lee and Casey had insurance. But they learned from this experience how underinsured they were and what a maze of paperwork is involved in claiming the benefits they were entitled to under their policy. It not only took all the dwelling insurance to rebuild, it took most of their content insurance as well – what was left after providing the necessities for school, temporary shelter, etc.
The rebuild is under way, but the family ran out of temporary housing in May. In the heat of this summer, they are living outdoors in tents on their rural property until the house is finished. And while many used items have been donated to the family to help them along the way, it is my hope that others in our community like me would enjoy helping provide some of the things necessary to restore some level of normalcy to this family who lost every single family heirloom, every baby album, every Christmas and birthday gift, every picture ever taken, every favorite book or baseball cap – every little thing that the rest of us take for granted on a daily basis.
I would like to see each child sleep in a brand new bed, have a few new pieces of clothing when school starts in the fall, and maybe be able to replace the wedding rings that symbolize over twenty years of marriage for these two parents who sacrifice on a daily basis to give their beautiful family everything they can. Every dollar will help bring a touch more normalcy to their lives. Friends, this is what “community” is all about. Will you help?
Thanks for reading. Have a blessed day.
Disasters happen all the time to people who are not prepared, and it is truly a tragedy. In this case, Lee and Casey had insurance. But they learned from this experience how underinsured they were and what a maze of paperwork is involved in claiming the benefits they were entitled to under their policy. It not only took all the dwelling insurance to rebuild, it took most of their content insurance as well – what was left after providing the necessities for school, temporary shelter, etc.
The rebuild is under way, but the family ran out of temporary housing in May. In the heat of this summer, they are living outdoors in tents on their rural property until the house is finished. And while many used items have been donated to the family to help them along the way, it is my hope that others in our community like me would enjoy helping provide some of the things necessary to restore some level of normalcy to this family who lost every single family heirloom, every baby album, every Christmas and birthday gift, every picture ever taken, every favorite book or baseball cap – every little thing that the rest of us take for granted on a daily basis.
I would like to see each child sleep in a brand new bed, have a few new pieces of clothing when school starts in the fall, and maybe be able to replace the wedding rings that symbolize over twenty years of marriage for these two parents who sacrifice on a daily basis to give their beautiful family everything they can. Every dollar will help bring a touch more normalcy to their lives. Friends, this is what “community” is all about. Will you help?
Thanks for reading. Have a blessed day.
Organizer
Carla Evans Crader
Organizer
Murfreesboro, TN