Please Help Me Recover from a Fire
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A few months ago, a friend put together a group call for some entrepreneurs in the postural alignment industry in which we got to hear from a life coach who talked about the power of asking in building our businesses. I am grateful for what I learned. I ask for donations to support my natural health and raw vegan magazine, Fruit-Powered Digest (https://www.fruit-powered.com/fruit-powered-digest), because I'm providing a valuable resource, but it's not my way to ask people for many things otherwise. I like to be self-sufficient. :) Today, with the encouragement of many who've said they want to help me, I'm creating this GoFundMe page to ask for your help.
A fire destroyed the cottage I was renting in the Philadelphia suburbs on April 4, 2018. (In case you're wondering about this strange-looking house on "legs," the cottage and house were raised on stilts years ago to prevent flooding from the Perkiomen Creek, a stone's throw away.) I am told a tree crashed into utility lines about 100 yards from my cottage, which adjoins a house whose kitchen I shared with the homeowner. This fallen tree triggered a fire in the fuse box in one of my two rooms. My cat, Inky, nicknamed Little Moo, and beloved companion of 18 years, was home during the fire. It is possible she perished, and it's also possible she escaped when half my floor space collapsed. My not knowing her fate eats me up, and I'll continue to visit the property in the hopes I can hug her again and plant on her cute little face endless nose kisses.
The fire destroyed all my possessions save for my car, my Chromebook, my phone and the clothes on my back. I'm staying at my sister's house nearby temporarily and trying to get back on track with a new place to live very soon.
Anyone who knows me well knows I've given absolutely everything I have since early 2012 to build Fruit-Powered.com (https://www.fruit-powered.com/) into a top health destination for the curious, for the sick and for those wanting peak performance. I've sacrificed so much to make this happen. My magazine, Fruit-Powered Digest, has been a beacon for tens of thousands across the world over this time, serving up 750 powerful, inspiring, informational stories about people triumphing over cancer, diabetes and obesity, for example. I've generally worked 60 to 100 hours a week over this period—sometimes with a full-time job, as I have now.
I've also come to truly understand how challenging it is to earn money doing what one loves. Over the past several years, I ran up a significant amount of debt in business and living expenses while trying to make a living pursuing my passion. With this fire, I'm out about $20K in possessions, which I've been cataloging the past couple of days, beyond my already sizeable debt. Most of my stuff was connected to my Fruit-Powered work and for health such as exercise and kitchen equipment. I'm a minimalist at heart but have invested good money in quality items that are truly important to me and used very regularly. I owned no pricey paintings, exquisite sculptures or massive collection of rare vinyl records. All I owned disappeared in practically a flash. I am told my possessions are not covered by the homeowner's insurance policy.
I'm at a point in my life where I have to either get another part-time job—it would be my fourth job at the moment—to get back on track or to ask for your help so I can continue publishing Fruit-Powered Digest, hopefully in the fall. It's impossible for me to work a fourth job while telling the Digest's stories.
Fruit-Powered Digest is simply my life's greatest work. About 100 people have shared stories in the Digest—with dozens more being featured—and the spirited raw vegan community and health and self-improvement communities at large have helped make this possible. I've worked thousands of hours and put in tens of thousands of dollars to build the Digest and want to see it be a light for a long time to come.
I ask you: Can you please help me? Can you please help me get back on track? Can you please help me continue to publish Fruit-Powered Digest? Can you please help me continue to help people the world over improve their health, provide freedom to all life and enhance the environment?
I believe the world needs this magazine more and more with each passing day!
Thank you for taking the time to read this note. I am grateful for and love you all!
A fire destroyed the cottage I was renting in the Philadelphia suburbs on April 4, 2018. (In case you're wondering about this strange-looking house on "legs," the cottage and house were raised on stilts years ago to prevent flooding from the Perkiomen Creek, a stone's throw away.) I am told a tree crashed into utility lines about 100 yards from my cottage, which adjoins a house whose kitchen I shared with the homeowner. This fallen tree triggered a fire in the fuse box in one of my two rooms. My cat, Inky, nicknamed Little Moo, and beloved companion of 18 years, was home during the fire. It is possible she perished, and it's also possible she escaped when half my floor space collapsed. My not knowing her fate eats me up, and I'll continue to visit the property in the hopes I can hug her again and plant on her cute little face endless nose kisses.
The fire destroyed all my possessions save for my car, my Chromebook, my phone and the clothes on my back. I'm staying at my sister's house nearby temporarily and trying to get back on track with a new place to live very soon.
Anyone who knows me well knows I've given absolutely everything I have since early 2012 to build Fruit-Powered.com (https://www.fruit-powered.com/) into a top health destination for the curious, for the sick and for those wanting peak performance. I've sacrificed so much to make this happen. My magazine, Fruit-Powered Digest, has been a beacon for tens of thousands across the world over this time, serving up 750 powerful, inspiring, informational stories about people triumphing over cancer, diabetes and obesity, for example. I've generally worked 60 to 100 hours a week over this period—sometimes with a full-time job, as I have now.
I've also come to truly understand how challenging it is to earn money doing what one loves. Over the past several years, I ran up a significant amount of debt in business and living expenses while trying to make a living pursuing my passion. With this fire, I'm out about $20K in possessions, which I've been cataloging the past couple of days, beyond my already sizeable debt. Most of my stuff was connected to my Fruit-Powered work and for health such as exercise and kitchen equipment. I'm a minimalist at heart but have invested good money in quality items that are truly important to me and used very regularly. I owned no pricey paintings, exquisite sculptures or massive collection of rare vinyl records. All I owned disappeared in practically a flash. I am told my possessions are not covered by the homeowner's insurance policy.
I'm at a point in my life where I have to either get another part-time job—it would be my fourth job at the moment—to get back on track or to ask for your help so I can continue publishing Fruit-Powered Digest, hopefully in the fall. It's impossible for me to work a fourth job while telling the Digest's stories.
Fruit-Powered Digest is simply my life's greatest work. About 100 people have shared stories in the Digest—with dozens more being featured—and the spirited raw vegan community and health and self-improvement communities at large have helped make this possible. I've worked thousands of hours and put in tens of thousands of dollars to build the Digest and want to see it be a light for a long time to come.
I ask you: Can you please help me? Can you please help me get back on track? Can you please help me continue to publish Fruit-Powered Digest? Can you please help me continue to help people the world over improve their health, provide freedom to all life and enhance the environment?
I believe the world needs this magazine more and more with each passing day!
Thank you for taking the time to read this note. I am grateful for and love you all!
Organizer
Brian Rossiter
Organizer
Norristown, PA
