Help Janet and Dan Rebuild After the Palisades Fire

Longtime devotee Janet Turner wanted to share her Palisades fire story from the viewpoint of a beloved family member.

All the funds collected will be deposited directly from GoFundMe into Janet's bank account to help cover needs not met by other sources of aid.

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Hi, my name is Kipling Janakananda. I'm a Tibetan Terrier. My breed is called the holy dogs of Tibet. Mom and Dad always felt that made me very special.

I'm writing about my parents, Janet Turner and Dan Helfgott, who are both seniors and lost everything they worked hard for when the terrible wildfire swept through my town, burned our house to the ground and turned our lives upside down.

My mom has been a Sunday School teacher at SRF Lake Shrine for 28 years. She had pictures of Master and the other Gurus in every room of the house. I always had to think twice before being naughty. I knew they were watching.

I often supervised as my mom prepared her SRF Sunday School lessons and crafts. She really loves creating something fun for the kids. Dad would always ask to hear the lesson and he often gave mom a hand with making the craft prototype.

We were lucky to live in a house near Lake Shrine. Mom volunteered there often and during the week she would sneak down to the lake during her lunch break for a quick meditation.

Mom gave me the middle name Janakananda with hopes that Rajarsi would protect me and our family. He did. My mom was at work when the fire started. Dad and I had very little time. The fire was getting close and we had to leave everything behind. The roads were jammed and the smoke was very thick and dad feared that we wouldn't escape. But we did. Of course, I wasn't worried because I knew that Rajarsi and all the Gurus were watching over us.

Now we're finally able to move into an unfurnished apartment and my parents will need many things to make it a home again. So I am asking if you can help make their lives a little bit easier. We would really appreciate it. I can't thank you enough for reading our story.

Jai Guru and blessings to you,

Kipling Janakananda