Help Anna Murray Start Rebuilding in Jasper

Hi everyone my name is Julie Bowlen, a long time Jasper/Lake Edith resident. Along with many of you I was heartbroken watching the fires destroy the town of Jasper last week. I have started this fundraiser for my childhood friend Anna. My hope is to help her through a difficult time following the fires in Jasper National Park. As you may know fires hit the town hard and fast last week, and many had to evacuate on short notice. Within 48 hours the fire consumed much the south part of town where many of the long time local residents live. The town of Jasper sustained approximately 35% loss of both homes and businesses.

Anna is a long time Jasper resident and the owner of Jasper Rock & Jade a long time Jasper local business. Although her business was spared, her home was destroyed along with most of her belongings. As you can imagine she is devastated and facing a very uncertain future. Many of the residents like Anna have older trailers that are their homes, and unfortunately insurance sees these as a depreciating asset meaning reimbursement will not cover the cost of actually replacing her home. At the moment residents have been given a one time $1250 payment from the government, and $57/day from the Red Cross for 7 days. Clearly this cannot cover costs of living for any length of time, nor enough to start rebuilding her life. She has been given the use of a friend’s cabin outside of Edmonton for a few weeks but after that she will need to find a new home. Parks Canada has also informed residents they should not expect to be able to return to town for weeks to come. They cannot reopen the town until essential services are established (medical, grocery, gas etc) and many business owners and staff have lost their homes so cannot return to open these businesses up. Anna is one of those, she will not be able to reopen her business as she does not have a place to live. Jasper is also a town that very much relies on summer tourism, and that will not be able to return this year. So after being hit hard by covid a few years ago, small businesses like her are also now facing another season of income lost. However, many of the bills they have to cover will not stop coming. It is uncertain if there will be government relief or help, so the immediate future is not looking good.

Based on all of this people like Anna, are going to need our support to navigate the uncertainty of the next number of months and likely longer. I know many have asked how they can help, making a donation to support her getting back on her feet, and therefore helping the town reopen and rebuild is a great way. Without our support her business will likely be lost and her financial hardships will only grow. It would mean the world to me if my friends and family could help support her, any donation small or large will be externally appreciated!!! Funds will help her replace lost items, reestablish a new home and cover costs while her business is closed. My dream is to see her back in Jasper, and Jasper Rock and Jade open for business once again.