Hey everyone. We are reaching out today because, quite honestly, we are out of options, we are running out of time, and we need a little help to get our kids into a safe, permanent home. If you looked at our family snapshots, you'd probably laugh. We have a big, beautiful, wonderfully loud, and chaotic family. Between our two amazing grown daughters, our sweet little granddaughter, and out three youngest kids (who are now 13, 5, and 2), our house has always been full of noise, messy living rooms, and so much love. 

But on April 4, 2024, the place where all those memories lived vanished in a single morning.

A fast, terrifying house fire completely destroyed our home. We watched everything we owned- our clothes, our furniture, our savings, and every baby picture- turn to ash right in front of us. By the absolute grace of God we all made it out alive, including our daughter who was just a newborn baby at the time. Our adult cats, miraculously survived, but our hearts were completely broken when four tiny, two-week old kittens did not make it out. Watching our kids cry for those babies next to the smoking ruins of our life is a heartbreak that still catches in our throats.

Just as we were trying to take a breath and figure out what to do next, a second disaster hit. My husband was in a severe car accident that completely totaled out his work truck. When you're already sleeping on borrowed floor space, a blow like that feels suffocating. We had to use every single cent of our remaining emergency cash just to get a replacement vehicle so he could keep working, starting our vehicle payments all over again from scratch. 

We didn't want to just ask for a handout, so we rolled up our sleeves. We moved our family into a cramped, tiny temporary space above a relative's garage. We started our own small construction and repair business. We spend our days working with our hands- fixing outlets, remodeling spaces, and building strong, safe roofs for other families so we can provide for our own. We work ourselves to the bone, and we are proud of that.

### Out of Room, Out of Options, and 2 months left

But right now, hard work isn't enough to clear the wall in front of us. Our time in our little space is officially up. We have less than 2 months to find a place to live.

Right now, five of us are squeezed into a tiny 2 bedroom 1 bathroom setup. Our 13-year-old daughter has a tiny room for privacy, but we are sharing a single cramped bedroom with our 5-year-old and 2-year-old. The babies are growing fast, we are entirely out of physical space, and the walls feel like they are closing in on us. We desperately want a home where our older daughters and granddaughter can come visit and gather without stepping over each other. 

Our absolute, non-negotiable priority is keeping our three youngest in their current school district. They have already lost their home, their pets, and their entire sense of safety. They have been through a lifetime of trauma before even hitting high school. They deserve stability. They deserve to keep their teachers and stay with the friends who have kept them smiling through this entire nightmare.

The problem is our local housing market has trapped us:

* There are zero rental properties available in this school district that can fit a family of our size. Renting is physically not an option.

* The upfront cost is a wall we can't climb. The only path to keep our kids in their school is a local land-home package. Our business is stable enough now that we can easily handle the monthly mortgage payments on our own. But because the fire and the accident completely wiped out our life savings, we cannot qualify for the bank loan because we lack the hefty $50,000 down payment.

### How You Can Help Us Turn The Page

We are entirely out of savings, out of room, and out of time- but because of our kids, we refuse to be out of hope.

We are a family of builders, but we can't build this roof without a hand up. Every single dollar from this fundraiser goes directly into a secure bank escrow to cover the down payment and unlock our loan.

If you look at our crazy, smiling family photos on this page, you aren't just looking at a fundraiser. You are seeing real, tired, hardworking parents, big sisters, a little granddaughter, and three little fire survivors who just want a bedroom where they can finally unpack and feel safe.

* If you can Donate: Even the price of a cup of coffee or a quick lunch helps buy a brick for our kids' future. 

* If you can not Donate: Please, please hit the share button. Getting this link out to global communities, forums, or groups means everything to us.

Thank you from the very bottom of our hearts for listening to our story, for your kindness, and for helping us finally bring our children home.