A former Grande Prairie resident has taken action to support her family and friends affected by the ongoing wildfires in Jasper.
Tina Sideroff, who now lives in Ottawa says her sister Twila and her family were among the thousands of evacuees from Jasper, and unfortunately lost their home as a result.
“When my sister spoke with her insurance company, they mentioned that they’ll likely be working together for two to three years so it’s going to take some time before things return back to normal,” she says. “It might be some time before they’re able to return to work.”
Sideroff says Jasper is an incredibly meaningful place to her family, like so many others from the Grande Prairie region, sharing fond memories of the park, so the loss was financially and emotionally devastating.
“My entire family are all originally from Grande Prairie, born and raised, and my sister moved to Jasper, got married in Jasper and everything,” she says. “I live in Ottawa and I have neighbours coming up to me and they’re crying because Jasper meant something to them as well so it’s across the country.”
As a result, Sideroff decided to take matters into her own hands and started a fundraiser for her sister’s family and friends who were affected by the fires. She says her sister’s family is “deeply involved” in their community, so seeing the loss so many are suffering through was too much to ignore.
“They’re just that type of family that always thinks about their community all the time so when they lost their house, they lost everything, their house went, their garage went, so I just felt like it was my turn to help them out, even if it was something small to get them back on their feet,” she says. “They’re always participating in the annual Christmas fundraisers, her son even started a drive to help the homeless.”
Sideroff says no fundraising goal has been set; however, during their time of need, all donations are welcome.
“Anything helps, they have nothing, some of their friends don’t have insurance so its just little things,” she says. “She knows her community well so she’s just been out there helping others as well as herself.”
Donations can be made via e-transfer, and those interested in helping out can send their assistance to [email protected] to donate.
