On Wednesday July 9th, 2008 a fire swept through our friend Barbara Schmitt's rented home at 3288 S. Elm Street in Southeast Denver. Fortunately, Barb was not physically injured in the fire, as she was away from her home attending a local charity event.

Unfortunately, Barb's two dogs were home at the time. Her beloved dog, Benny, a golden Labrador retriever, died in the fire. The other dog, Surry, a German shepherd that she rescued a few years ago, was also killed in the fire. These two dogs were Barb's 'family' and meant everything to her.

Nearly everything Barb owned was destroyed in the fire, leaving her with literally the clothes on her back. As a result, she is left with few options to begin the process of rebuilding her life.

The purpose of this site is to provide you, her family, friends and supporters, with a centralized location where you can receive information on how you can help Barb. We hope that you will forward this website address to people that know Barb, and/or those that would be willing to help.


Thursday, July 31, 2008

Just a quick note to report that by sheer coincidence I ran into Barb and Warren today. Obviously, this has been incredibly traumatic on Barb, but she is holding it together. (I am happy to report her sense of humor is intact). She is currently house sitting for a friend of hers, for which we are grateful. She is very appreciative of the outpouring of support, and can't adequately thank everyone who has called her or sent her messages.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be working with Barb to help coordinate how best to help her. Keith Gliner is coordinating the contributions, and I encourage you to donate to the fund that we have set up in her benefit.

Obviously, she has limited access to email and cell phone communications. So, please feel free to leave a comment here and we will make sure it gets to her. We know she would love to hear from you.

We will continue to keep you updated here, so please check back for additional information.

Thanks,

Grant

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Today, Warren, Grant, and Keith met to formulate a plan and outline Barb's immediate and future needs. One of our first priorities was to get this website up to help organize much of the generosity that is flowing to her cause. (I heard from lots of people from Rocky Mtn today that I had not heard from in years, which was great.) Keith is setting up the financial conduits and accounts so that people can easily contribute if they are interested in doing so.

We believe that Barb lost a ton of pictures of her friends, pets and family too. So, if you have pictures, please forward them on...

In the meantime, you can help us by spreading the word that we need your help, and checking back here for information. Also, please post your email address, so that we can add you to the group...