My Friend Lost Her Home in a Tornado!

On the afternoon of July 30, 2009, a tornado touched down in Tennessee. While that normally wouldn't make me take notice, this time it did. Why? Because this tornado took the house of my friend, Jeanne.

Who Is Jeanne?
Jeanne is a wife, a mom of 3, an activist, and a friend. She is also an avid Lend4Health lender and the creator of the Cinco de Linco loan days on Lend4Health. Jeanne's son, Charlie, has autism, and she blogs at Charlie in Wonderland.

Supplements, Legos, and Robots
When the tornado was on its way, they grabbed Charlie's supplements, his beloved Legos, and his robots. The family is safe and unharmed, but the house is ruined and will need to be rebuilt.

"What took us years to create was torn down like a house of cards in under one minute," Jeanne posted on Facebook.

Four Months
Jeanne and her family have moved in with her mom, Jan, who is awesome in every way. She lives nearby, knows the special dietary and supplement protocols Charlie follows, and has the room in her home and her heart to have the family stay there until their home can be rebuilt -- a process that the insurance company told her will take FOUR months.

What Can We Do?
While Jeanne has emphatically posted on Facebook that she does not want people to send her money or gift cards and that we should be spending money on our own kids instead, many of us want to do something to show our support for Jeanne.

If we lived nearby, we certainly would bring by a gluten-free, casein-free meal, or a steaming cup of Starbucks, or a nice book we found to help replace her beloved book collection. But, alas, we do not and we cannot. And so...we created a ChipIn.

Here are some ideas on how you can show your support for Jeanne:

* Send a few bucks to Jeanne by clicking on the "ChipIn" button. The money will go directly into her PayPal account for her to spend on whatever she needs, or to hold on to in case she might need it four months from now.

* Copy the ChipIn widget to your blog or website. Share this page on Facebook and Twitter. Post about it on your online forums.

* Make a tax-deductible contribution to Autism Cares, a non-profit that provides grants to autism families during natural disasters and other catostrophic life events.

* Make a micro-loan on Lend4Health (whether it's Cinco de Linco day or not!) and note that it is in honor of Jeanne.

Thank you for reading this, sharing it, and/or taking action on behalf of Jeanne, Charlie, and the rest of this wonderful family.