Help Jessica Keen Recover From This Fire

Awakened at 11:30 PM by her son after he smelled smoke, Jessica had only moments to get out of the burning home. Another minute or two, and they would not have made it downstairs past the fire that was already reaching the first couple steps. Exiting the house, they made it to the street before the windows burst.

Imagining yourself in such a situation is terrible enough - living through it is terrifying. Standing outside your burning home, watching the firefighters try to douse the flames in time to save something, anything of value, and then acknowledging that everything is gone. You are left with the pajamas you were wearing when you ran out of the house. Your son has school in 8 hours.

Those of us who know Jessica are fully aware of how she goes out of her way to help others. Whether it is a coworker needing assistance or a business associate needing advice, Jessica consistently goes above and beyond what is asked of her; there is no time of day that she is unavailable to those who request her help.

Friends and Coworkers, we reach out today with a call for help and ask for assistance that Jess would not ask for herself. There will be a need for new housing, furniture, clothing, and so many things that cannot be listed - she is truly starting over from scratch. We have come up with this amount as the minimum to help Jess and her family get back to some semblance of normalcy, though we realize it can never replace all that was lost.

We thank you for anything you can do to help Jessica and her son start over