Rancho Bernardo Fire Victims Donation

Please help these Families who were victims of the San Diego Witch Fire in Rancho Bernardo!

K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune - Oct. 22: A San Diego firefighter from Station 11 fights a fire at a house on Creciente Way in Rancho Bernardo during a firestorm.

Read on to find out how you can help:

Hello Everyone!

This is a cause that is close to my heart....

As many of you know, my sister, Marcie Sands (she is a REALTOR), and her family live in Rancho Bernardo, California (on Creciente Way, in San Diego), and their neighborhood "Westwood" was hit the hardest by the Witch Fire in San Diego on October 22, 2007. They are calling the Rancho Bernardo burned area (where the Witch fire jumped the I-15 Freeway) "ground zero" of the San Diego fires of 2007. My sister's home was luckily one that was not destroyed, but many of her close friends and neighbors have lost their homes entirely. (including three homes that were just across the street from my sister) I have seen aerial helicopter footage of the neighborhood, and the devastation is incredible. Most of the streets heading to my sister's home are completely wiped out and burned down. I have so much gratitude to the firemen who did the water drop that put out the burning hill behind my sister's home-- one side of their street was saved, but hundreds of others just in their little community were not so lucky, and we wanted to do something to help.

These families are left with only the items they were able to evacuate with and a pile of soot, ash and rubble that used to be their homes. The residents were evacuated early on Monday morning (around 4 a.m.) and were told to leave immediately based on the high winds and the rapid movement of the fires towards their area. Those who lost their homes are all displaced and having to find housing for their families to live in while they clean up and rebuild their now burned and vacant lots. Many are finding that they are under-insured for the true value of their homes and properties. Keep in mind, these families still have to pay their monthly mortgages on top of paying rent for temporary housing. All are left without clothing, furniture (beds, dressers, tables and chairs), kitchenware, bedding, etc.

I thought it would be a good idea to aid some of the families who have lost their homes (particularly those that my family knows personally), so that donations could go directly to these families, eliminating any misuse of funds and allowing people to directly sponsor and aid these families. Marcie and I chose several families that are in need of help, all of which have young children, and all that are friends/coworkers/neighbors of my sister and her family. Below are these families, each of which has their own page, with the family's stories, photos of them, their "wish lists" and ways in which you can help. We ask that all donations be sent directly to each of the families so that you can be assured that your donation will go directly to those who lost their homes.

You can confirm the addresses of these homes destroyed by fire on the City of San Diego Government site at http://sandiego.gov/ or download the destroyed homes list at: List of Fire Damaged Homes - 2007 Firestorm Damage Assessment (PDF: 56K). Because we are NOT a non-profit agency, please keep receipts for anything you purchase and consult your tax professional for deductibility. Items will go directly to the Post Office for the families until their homes are rebuilt. Please do not send donated items unless otherwise specified, as these families are displaced and do not have places to store bulky items yet. If you would like to enclose a personal note with your donation, please do so.

Here are just some of the families out of the thousands who were impacted by this wildfire tragedy:

Click their photo to find out more about each family and how you can help. We will update you on the progress of the families and try to post new photos as they rebuild.

Thanks for your generosity,

Janelle Nielson and Marcie Sands & Family

RANCHO BERNARDO WITCH FIRE SURVIVORS DONATION PAGES

The Cader Family - Click here for Cader Family Donation Page