Help Replace Riley's Tools

To All Lovely People,

My wife and I bought a house in north Baltimore built in 1928 that any good agent would refer to as, “charming,” with a lot of “character.” In other words….it was a great old house with lots of old problems. FINALLY, in 2017 we were ready do a major renovation and build the kitchen of our dreams. After being told by a kitchen specialist that our “vision” was near impossible, we didn’t know where to turn. The father of our daughter’s best friend from school is a contractor, so we asked Riley Bracken to take a look at our “project.” Knowing that the scope of our vision was massive, we weren’t asking him to take on the behemoth, but wanted a trusted opinion that confirmed what every other contractor had said—“It simply couldn’t be done.” Riley is an artist, a trained glass blower with a degree from The Cleveland Institute of Art. He immediately “got” our vision, and not only said it was possible, but offered to tackle the project himself. Even with the knowledge that business and friendships are not often lines that should be crossed, we decided to use Riley to renovate the kitchen. Riley started by taking down the walls and gutting the kitchen. To say there were unforeseen contingencies is a massive understatement when dealing with a nealy 100 year old house. Still, day after day, for weeks Riley was there with a Zenlike focus to see through the entire project almost entirely by himself.

Today, we have the kitchen of our dreams. There are times, even six years later, when I’m still shocked at the beauty and durability of his efforts.

Two weeks ago, my wife shared that his truck had been stolen right in front of his house in Roland Park. I reached out to offer my sympathy without knowing that his tools were still inside when the thieves took it. Four days after the theft, his truck was recovered, but ALL the tools were gone. Those tools, the ones that made our house beautiful, all of them were gone and undoubtedly sold for far less than their value. For a contractor like Riley Bracken, there is no way to even place a value on them. They

were an extension of his hands—familiar and dependable devices that put bread on his family’s table. The insurance deductable is far too big to make a claim and out of reach.

I have never before started a fund for someone’s loss, but could not think of a more appropriate time to start than right now. Riley has done so much for our family and his family means the world to me. He is so humble and unassuming that I’m sure he would crawl out of his skin knowing that I was expressing this sentiment online.

Riley is decent and honest, and I want to do whatever I can to help him recover from this Karmic assault. That’s why I’m asking anyone who can help to give whatever they can. It doesn’t have to break your pocket, but if enough of us contribute, we can help a good man recover from a devastating loss. I thank you all in advance, and can only

hope that “feathering your angel wings” on his behalf will be repaid in your time of need.

Sincerely,

Eric Vincent