Cheryl's Recover-From-Fire Fund

     Late in the evening on Sunday, August 21, 2016 on Oak Street, in Rochester, Michigan, my sister Cheryl was alerted by a neighbor's screaming to get out of the house. "The front house is on fire!" she screamed. Cheryl grabbed her purse, cell phone, and car keys and ran out of the rear unit of the single-home "duplex" in her sundress and sandals to discover that the front part of the home was completely engulfed in flames.
     With only one wall separating her residence from the front unit, she feared everything was gone. Firefighters battled flames for two hours. She went to a friend's house for the night, waiting sleeplessly to be able to assess the damage.
     Upon awaking this morning (Monday, August 22), she felt optimistic because it appeared that part of her unit was not burned to the ground. However, when she met with the fire investigator, he told her he was condeming the entire house. It's toxic and unsafe. Everything is smoke, ash, fire, and water-damaged beyond repair. Nobody will ever live there again. She has lost everything. She was permitted to enter under escort for 20 minutes to grab a few things, but was warned against taking any clothing because it was considered toxic and would need special handling and cleaning (if her renter's insurance will cover it) before she can wear any of it. She literally has the clothing on her back, her cell phone, a work laptop, and her Jeep. That's it. All furniture, clothing, everything. Will be gone.
     Luckily, she does have a small renter's insurance policy. She will have some money for lodging and food immediately from her insurance company. But, she has to find a new place to live. She has to put down first and last month's rent (security deposit). She will need to take time off work to deal with all of this. She has to buy all new clothing, shoes, furniture, dishes - everything needed to stock a home for living. 
    Anybody who ever met Cheryl knows what a huge heart she has. While I was on the phone with her last night as she wrapped up a quick meal at a nearby restaurant with friends, I overheard her tell her friends, "Let me get the tab on this guys." That's just how she is. She loses everything in a tragic fire, yet SHE is offering to buy everybody's meal as a thanks for just being there for her for moral support.
     Cheryl will use your kind donations to purchase clothing, shoes, and toiletries immediately, while her insurance money is being used for food and lodging. She will use your kind donations after the insurance money runs out, or to take care of things that the insurance won't cover. 
    Our family, and especially Cheryl, would like to thank you in advance for your support. Your love, friendship, and donation (of whatever size) mean the world to her. Honestly, Cheryl did NOT want me to create a GoFundMe for her. She said, "I don't want to be a charity-case." That's Cheryl. She's strong. She's a survivor. She doesn't like to ask for help. That's why I am doing this for her. Because she needs a chance to not be strong. To not have to do this alone. To have somebody else ask for help for her. 
   Much love to you all,  
   Nikki Atkinson-Mahar & family

PS: If you prefer NOT to donate through GoFundMe, please email me, directly at [email redacted]. I'll give you my address to send me your donation in the form of a check. I will consolodate all checks into one lump sum to mail to my sister so she doesn't have to deal with multiple trips to the bank!