Hello BTL Readers,
A letter of thanks from us has been long overdue! The fire in our home last month has been a stressful experience for us with a whirlwind of activity as we worked to recover some business equipment, search for photos and jewelry and tread through a flooded basement to recover things. We were lucky enough to be awakened at 5:30 a.m. that morning to get out of the house before the smoke entered our home.
We have been living in a hotel and now are in temporary housing until we can find another home. We are back to a new kind of normal but that was due to the help of so many who reached out to us. We were able to host the September PFLAG meeting and attend the PFLAG Regional Conference because of your generosity.
The outpouring of support from BTL readers and the LGBT community was amazing and overwhelming. Although we had insurance on our home, we didn't on the business equipment which was lost along with most of our personal possessions.
We were lucky enough to have our photos and some of our memorabilia recovered but we lost our treasured awards from Affirmations, Triangle Foundation, Pride Awards, PFLAG, and HRC. Although these awards meant so much to us, we take pride in knowing the work we did for equality that gained the recognition they symbolize is not lost and continues to make a difference. We will continue to do that work so that our son, Lee, and his spouse David and their children Braiden and Michael will not face discrimination or hatred because of who they are.
Thank you so much all who expressed their sympathy, sent a card, made a donation, Facebooked, texted, emailed or called (it was impossible to keep up with the messages and emails without a computer). Knowing that so many care for us touches our hearts deeply. We would also like to thank Pride Source Group who shared the news of our fire and helped orchestrate this show of support for us and Level One Bank in Ferndale by setting up a no fee deposit account for the Neubecker Fire Fund.
Many have contributed funds to help us through this rough patch and we are grateful. We promise that once we get back in a home and get the business rolling at full speed again we will find a way to give back to the community the generosity we have received.
With eternal gratitude,
Mike and Jan Neubecker
EDITORS NOTE:
Donations can be sent to The Neubecker Fire Fund, c/o John McQuiggin, Bank Manager, Level One Bank, 22635 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, MI 48220. Mike also lost his business in the fire, so they have no source of income for a while. Health insurance alone costs over $2,000 per month, in part because of Jan's cancer and other health challenges. These two are community heroes – let's all step up and help them in their time of need. They have always been there for us.
