Help Ellen and Matt After Fire

Friends, today (Sunday, January 19, 2025), the unthinkable happened to one of our very own. Ellen Vogel, who many of you know from shows and BreyerFest, suffered heavy damage to her home through fire. She and her husband, Matt, and their cat escaped unharmed, but they lost their cars and the use of their home, and the fate of her beautiful collection is unknown. Officials are still determining the cause of the blaze, but as you can see from the photos, their home is heavily damaged. You may see the news coverage here: https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2025/01/19/firefighters-battle-fire-in-frigid-temperatures-that-left-house-fully-engulfed-in-fox-lake/?fbclid=IwY2xjawH6U-VleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUXc7Q2At1NnJbhm7T5CrkwgzdJ6gNlxLLsBkANZzsGg_jG5aCxa4qIvXQ_aem_6ELJKsw79xTgmLDPR4aiCg

It goes without saying that what happened to Ellen is every collector’s worst nightmare, but even more important are the items we take for granted every day: clothing, medicine, toiletries, transportation, and housing, items that insurance never fully covers. We are setting up a GoFundMe to help Ellen and Matt, and we hope you will join us in supporting them through these very difficult hours, days, and weeks ahead. I am sure Ellen would love to hear from you, and she is on Facebook. But first, please consider donating. Ellen is well known to many of us through her smiling presence at shows, her constant willingness to introduce new friends to the hobby, and her love of all things horses. Please consider helping her in her time of need, and if you cannot help financially, she would love to hear from you and have your moral support. Thank you!