Fire Relief & Recovery Fund
Donation protected
Hi there! My name is Bill Goebel. My wife, Louise and I have owned and operated Renaissance Farms since 2004. We are both fiber artisans, who live a very modest lifestyle, working out of our home, creating and selling our handmade alpaca fiber and silk products. Last November, we suffered a devastating fire in our home.
The fire, smoke and water damage required that much of the house be rebuilt. We not only lost most of our furniture, but the damage also included losing most of our raw materials for creating our various products. Insurance fell way short of covering the expenses of the rebuild, and did not cover any of our lost inventory or raw material we require to make our products. We have spent all of our savings in filling the gap between what the actual costs were and what insurance covered. Not easily deterred or discouraged, we are committed to rebuilding our home, our business and our lives.
The fire not only cost us for the rebuild, but it also cost us our ability to earn an income during the busiest season for us - the fall and holiday shopping season! We have nearly completed the rebuild, but now have no funds left to purchase floor covering (inexpensive carpeting, vinyl flooring). We also incurred thousands of dollars in electric bills, between the power used on the rebuild, and the need to heat our house, which had only a tarp for a roof for most of the winter heating season. Further, we need to order more raw silk material to replace what was lost in the fire, in order to earn our way out of our now substantial debt. It would break Louise's heart if, after enduring all of this, and having the house rebuilt, we then lose it to the bank.
We are used to being self-reliant and hard-working, and it is very hard for us to ask for assistance, but as my beloved father used to say, "You can't eat your pride". Consequently, we would like to offer some incentives/premiums to those willing to lend us a hand. Please check out our offered premiums you will receive, should you choose to help us get back on our feet. If you can't offer a donation, perhaps you have some carpeting in good condition you could donate to the cause. We are looking to raise $5,000, hopefully, in the next several weeks to keep the wolf from the door, and our modest home from the bank.
Our incentives include our beautiful, one-of-a-kind, handmade eco-printed scarves. Eco printing and eco dyeing are the contemporary expression and extension of traditional dye methods. Eco printing involves a delicate dance, wherein we employ a combination of techniques, and use various plant parts and foliage growing on our farm, coaxing them to give up their colors, shapes and patterns onto silks and other fabrics. Our eco-print fabric contains no synthetic dyes, since all of the color is coming from the leaves themselves. In addition to eco-printing, we also do medium printing, which is a technique of mixing eco-printing with the use of synthetic dye to create a different type of visual effect.
Here are examples of pure eco-printing:
Here are examples of medium printing:
We invite all of our donors to come out to our farm for a visit, if you can, so we can thank you in person. We can give you a tour of the alpacas, and a behind the scenes look at how we make our various products! Thank you so kindly for listening!
The fire, smoke and water damage required that much of the house be rebuilt. We not only lost most of our furniture, but the damage also included losing most of our raw materials for creating our various products. Insurance fell way short of covering the expenses of the rebuild, and did not cover any of our lost inventory or raw material we require to make our products. We have spent all of our savings in filling the gap between what the actual costs were and what insurance covered. Not easily deterred or discouraged, we are committed to rebuilding our home, our business and our lives.
The fire not only cost us for the rebuild, but it also cost us our ability to earn an income during the busiest season for us - the fall and holiday shopping season! We have nearly completed the rebuild, but now have no funds left to purchase floor covering (inexpensive carpeting, vinyl flooring). We also incurred thousands of dollars in electric bills, between the power used on the rebuild, and the need to heat our house, which had only a tarp for a roof for most of the winter heating season. Further, we need to order more raw silk material to replace what was lost in the fire, in order to earn our way out of our now substantial debt. It would break Louise's heart if, after enduring all of this, and having the house rebuilt, we then lose it to the bank.
We are used to being self-reliant and hard-working, and it is very hard for us to ask for assistance, but as my beloved father used to say, "You can't eat your pride". Consequently, we would like to offer some incentives/premiums to those willing to lend us a hand. Please check out our offered premiums you will receive, should you choose to help us get back on our feet. If you can't offer a donation, perhaps you have some carpeting in good condition you could donate to the cause. We are looking to raise $5,000, hopefully, in the next several weeks to keep the wolf from the door, and our modest home from the bank.
Our incentives include our beautiful, one-of-a-kind, handmade eco-printed scarves. Eco printing and eco dyeing are the contemporary expression and extension of traditional dye methods. Eco printing involves a delicate dance, wherein we employ a combination of techniques, and use various plant parts and foliage growing on our farm, coaxing them to give up their colors, shapes and patterns onto silks and other fabrics. Our eco-print fabric contains no synthetic dyes, since all of the color is coming from the leaves themselves. In addition to eco-printing, we also do medium printing, which is a technique of mixing eco-printing with the use of synthetic dye to create a different type of visual effect.
Here are examples of pure eco-printing:
Here are examples of medium printing:
We invite all of our donors to come out to our farm for a visit, if you can, so we can thank you in person. We can give you a tour of the alpacas, and a behind the scenes look at how we make our various products! Thank you so kindly for listening!
Organizer
Bill Goebel
Organizer
Vinton, OH
