Single Mom Loses Everything in Fire

Early Sunday morning, my sister’s home burned to the ground. I’ve created this fundraiser to provide relief for my sister Julie and her daughters, Delilah and Ramzy, so that they may begin to reclaim their lives from the ashes.



The good news: Julie, Delilah, and Ramzy escaped the fire without any physical harm. By a stroke of luck, they were away on Saturday night when an electrical fire ignited in the master bedroom and quickly engulfed the house. If you'd like, you can read The Tallahassee Democrat's recent article about the fire  here. ‌

The bad news: Everything Julie, Delilah, and Ramzy owned was destroyed in the flames. Everything. Much of what they lost is irreplaceable: a lifetime of photographs and home videos; family heirlooms; mementos of friends and relatives; keepsakes from the girls’ childhood years. Other things, however, can be replaced.


What can you do to help?  Please share this fundraiser with everyone you know on social media and consider making a contribution. With a donation as small as a dollar, you can help provide relief for Julie, Delilah, and Ramzy in this troubling time. The immediate necessities include groceries; clothing, shoes, and school supplies for the girls; and clothing for Julie as well a wheelchair and specialty bed. If you do not feel comfortable donating directly to this page, we would love to receive gift cards to places like Publix, Target, or Walmart, and we can also coordinate with you to receive any other donations. Please contact me @ [email redacted]

Who are we?
My name's Casey. I'm an MFA candidate in fiction at Florida State University and the assistant programs manager of The Southeast Review. I will ensure that all donations go directly to Julie, Delilah, and Ramzy.

My sister, Julie, is a single mother who is permanently disabled and unable to work due to numerous problems with her spine and neck. An avid reader, Julie was working on a YA novel before the fire which destroyed her laptop, external hard drive, and all of her hard work. She is a devoted mother, an animal lover, and the sort of person who has always been eager to help out others in need.

Delilah is fifteen and has just started the ninth grade. She plays the ukulele and guitar and, though she may not admit it, has a wonderful singing voice. Unfortunately, her instruments were destroyed in the fire along with all her clothes, backpack, laptop, school supplies, and her collection of nonfiction and true crime books. Interesting facts: favorite band is The Smiths; favorite subject in school is History; and she wants to be a criminal profiler when she “grows up.”


Ramzy is eleven and has just started the sixth grade. She loves to draw and paint, but her easel and pencils and supplies were destroyed in the fire along with all her clothes, school supplies, and her collection of fantasy and mystery novels. Interesting facts: favorite band is Twenty-One Pilots; she writes short stories; and she wants to be a gymnast when she “grows up.”


If you’ve read this far, thank you. If you’d like to help, please consider donating and/or sharing this fundraiser with your network on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere.  And rest assured that all donations will go directly to Julie, Delilah, and Ramzy to help them begin to rebuild their lives.

If you would prefer to contact me directly to offer donations such as clothing, gift cards, dishes, groceries, electronics, books, monetary donations by check or through PayPal, or words of encouragement, please contact me (Casey Whitworth) @ [email redacted]

Thank you for reading. Thank you for wanting to help. Thank you for your support and encouragement. Thank you, thank you, thank you!