This fundraiser has concluded and we are no longer accepting donations.
Hi everyone,
About a week ago I was watching a television news story about the devastating fires in Middletown, California. It featured a man named Steve Dixon who lost everything in the fire.
As the news story proceeded, I saw this image:
I stopped the DVR and looked at the screen and realized this was a Weber guy. Our kind of guy. I ran the video back and noticed this image:
So this guy's only possessions that survived the fire were his 22.5" Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker and his Weber Performer, although from the looks of it, the Performer suffered some fire damage.
I wanted to learn more about Steve's situation. I reached out to the news reporter who reached out to the camera man who reached out to Steve, and he called me this morning.
The fire has put Steve out of work, like so many people in the area, but he's going to a job fair today to look for new work. He and his wife are living in a granny unit behind someone's home that has been donated for their use. They've got 6 kids, and it sounds like one is still living at home and one has been sent to a nearby boarding school while all this plays out.
Right now, Steve's main goal is to get a disaster trailer moved onto his property so he and his wife and their kids can move back onto the property and start the rebuilding process. He's counting on his insurance company to come through and cover most of his losses. But as we know, people are rarely made whole after these kinds of disasters.
I feel moved and motivated to help Steve Dixon and his family. As I told him on the phone, I'm sure grilling and barbecuing are the last things on his mind right now, but I told him about our online community and I asked how we could help, even in a small way. He wasn't sure how to answer that question, but he appreciated the gesture and said he was willing to accept any help we could offer.
As a result of our conversation, I'd like to setup a fundraiser for Steve Dixon with a goal to raise $1,000 that he can use towards whatever he needs, including a new Weber Performer and a new BBQ Guru DigiQ controller and all the other barbecue tools and accessories he lost during the fire.
I'm kicking things off with a $50 donation.
If you'd like to help, please use this link to make a PayPal donation. Even the smallest amount can make a difference.
I will personally cover the 3.5% PayPal transfer fee so that 100% of your donation goes to Steve and his family.
If you want to send cash or check, please contact me for my mailing address.
Please feel free to share this fundraiser with your friends on other barbecue forums and communities.
Let's see if we can hit this $1,000 goal by October 31. I will occasionally update progress in this thread.
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
Best,
Chris
Hi everyone,
About a week ago I was watching a television news story about the devastating fires in Middletown, California. It featured a man named Steve Dixon who lost everything in the fire.
As the news story proceeded, I saw this image:
I stopped the DVR and looked at the screen and realized this was a Weber guy. Our kind of guy. I ran the video back and noticed this image:
So this guy's only possessions that survived the fire were his 22.5" Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker and his Weber Performer, although from the looks of it, the Performer suffered some fire damage.
I wanted to learn more about Steve's situation. I reached out to the news reporter who reached out to the camera man who reached out to Steve, and he called me this morning.
The fire has put Steve out of work, like so many people in the area, but he's going to a job fair today to look for new work. He and his wife are living in a granny unit behind someone's home that has been donated for their use. They've got 6 kids, and it sounds like one is still living at home and one has been sent to a nearby boarding school while all this plays out.
Right now, Steve's main goal is to get a disaster trailer moved onto his property so he and his wife and their kids can move back onto the property and start the rebuilding process. He's counting on his insurance company to come through and cover most of his losses. But as we know, people are rarely made whole after these kinds of disasters.
I feel moved and motivated to help Steve Dixon and his family. As I told him on the phone, I'm sure grilling and barbecuing are the last things on his mind right now, but I told him about our online community and I asked how we could help, even in a small way. He wasn't sure how to answer that question, but he appreciated the gesture and said he was willing to accept any help we could offer.
As a result of our conversation, I'd like to setup a fundraiser for Steve Dixon with a goal to raise $1,000 that he can use towards whatever he needs, including a new Weber Performer and a new BBQ Guru DigiQ controller and all the other barbecue tools and accessories he lost during the fire.
I'm kicking things off with a $50 donation.
If you'd like to help, please use this link to make a PayPal donation. Even the smallest amount can make a difference.
I will personally cover the 3.5% PayPal transfer fee so that 100% of your donation goes to Steve and his family.
If you want to send cash or check, please contact me for my mailing address.
Please feel free to share this fundraiser with your friends on other barbecue forums and communities.
Let's see if we can hit this $1,000 goal by October 31. I will occasionally update progress in this thread.
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
Best,
Chris
