Planting New Roots

It was a normal night at the home of Emily and Jericho Root.  While Jericho was at his third shift job, Emily and the six kids were having a slumber party.  Four of the kids were piled in the living room, all sleeping soundly.  In the early hours of the morning, their cat Luna came in and would not stop playing with Emily's feet.  Thinking the cat had brought in a "midnight snack" to share with the family, she woke up to make sure the snack wasn't in the living room to scare the kids when they awoke in the morning.  At some point her oldest had come into her bedroom in the night, the baby was asleep in his playpen beside her. Sleepily, she walked down the hallway to check the children and the rest of the house before she settled back to sleep, and then she saw it.

The house was on fire.  Flames had already begun to engulf the kitchen of their home in Chester, SC.  Emily went and got the two kids from her bedroom, handing the baby to her oldest son, and told him to run outside.  She got them past the flames and then in the living room woke the remaining four and managed to get everyone out safely,  before returning to the house to get the three family pets.  Having focued on her family, she left her phone behind, but luckily a neighbor kindly called 911 and let her and six scared children into her home while they searched for a way to contact Jericho.  By the time the phone rang at his workplace, he had already left for the day.  He had no idea what he would be coming home to see until he got there.  Imagine that; arriving home expecting to crawl into bed after making the rounds giving your sleeping children kisses and instead finding your house engulfed in flames and not knowing if anyone was safe or made it out.  

Luckily the family was reunited shortly thereafter while the fire department battled the flames and the Red Cross came and gave the family assistance for immediate needs.  All they had managed to escape with was the clothes on their backs as everything else was lost to fire.  No extra clothes, no furniture, no toys, no food, no heirlooms or sentimental items.  Whatever was in their vehicles was what remained.  Fortunately both Emily and Jericho come from larger families and most lived close by, so they have been able to seek temporary shelter with Jericho's brother Josh and his wife Stephanie in Rock Hill, SC.

Emily and Jericho are frazzled as they frantically work towards trying to return themselves and children to some sense of normalcy as soon as possible, and that's where we, the friends, family, and community of the Roots can come in to help.  They are grateful for the outpouring of support and generous offers and donations of clothing, toys, and supplies for the family that have already come.  Fortunately they did have insurance on the home, but are still working with their agency to determine the degree of loss and what kind of monetary payout can be expected, with no idea of what kind of timeframe in which it will take to receive the funds.  The three oldest children will be starting school in a few weeks, and Emily and Jericho will need to return to work as soon as possible to maintain their incomes.  

So now, I ask that we come together to help resolve their most pressing need of finding a new home for the family.  Emily and Jericho are some of the most kind and generous people I have the pleasure of knowing.  They are attentive and loving parents who bust their tails to give their children the best life they can, and still find the time and resources to help anyone else that might be in need.  Now, however, they find themselves being the ones in need.  So please, if you can find it in your heart, donate or share this campaign to raise awareness, and help the Roots plant new Roots.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read, share, or donate.  

Tori