“I can’t imagine what I would have done without family, friends, and the support of the Kinzler Foundation to get us through the most difficult time anyone could ever imagine.

“My late husband and I had two children. Brandon 17, a senior and Allyssa 12, a 7th grader. My late husband also had a son who was in his 20’s with two children at the time. We lived on the outskirts of a small community just outside of Grand Rapids. I worked full time as a paraprofessional, and he worked as a glazer for a company in Grand Rapids.

“I worked late on a Thursday evening. When I arrived home, I discovered that my husband and kids’ father had taken his own life. Needless to say life was flipped upside down.

“I had very little money in the bank. I was going to college full time online for a Master’s degree in special education so that I could teach. I am not one to ask for help, but knew I was going to need some. She took the time to call and help me fill out the application the next day.

“The Kinzler Foundation blessed our family by covering our rent and car payments for several months. It was such an amazing support to our family. I could focus on the kids and their needs- as well as work on school without the added stress of finances. We were blessed in so many ways, the Kinzler Foundation being one of them.

“Recently we moved to the Upper Peninsula to be close to my family (they were 10 hours away at the time). I recently got married (one week before we moved). Life has changed so much. Both Brandon and Allyssa are out of school. We all started new jobs, and Allyssa will attend classes at the community college I graduated from before moving down by Grand Rapids. Life was torn apart in so many ways in September of 2017. They say you never get over a tragedy like this, and you don’t -you just learn how to live with it. The support we received gave us some time to grieve and learn the new normal without extra life stress on my shoulders. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!! The work you do is truly amazing. I pray that you continue to be able to help families like ours In the most difficult of times.”