We started a GO FUND ME!

We embark on our adventure down to Florida October 11 to help those in need after the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Irma. If you would like to contribute, check out our gofundme link in the comments below

👇🏼—super fast, super easy, and such a great way to help our brothers and sisters who have lost so much of what we take for granted on a daily basis. Every donation matters so don't let a small amount deter you from donating.

Check out the video for more deets (our kids are wild but hey we're keeping it real) Please spread the word! God bless!

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😘 #hurricaneirma#itstimetogiveback

We have felt deeply moved and inspired to do something to help our brothers and sisters who have been affected by hurricane Irma.

We made this video to share with family and friends—anyone wanting to get involved! As mentioned in the video we have started a gofundme. It would be so awesome if you could donate! Any amount—large or small—will be so incredibly beneficial to those in need. 100% of the donations will go towards the cause. If you have any questions feel free to message me. We leave on October 11 and will be getting supplies this weekend. We are excited to take this journey as a family and help those in need. Please feel free to share the gofundme link with anyone you know that has wanted to get involved in some way. Love you and God Bless!

Here is our gofundmelink.
https://www.gofundme.com/g26tmj-hurricane-irma

We were living in AZ when hurricane Katrina hit and we both remember wanting so badly to hop in the car and drive out to help those in need.

We planned a family trip months ago to Orlando. We have decided to make a little detour on our trip and help those who have been affected by the hurricane.

We are making this video to reach out to family, friends, friends of friends, anyone who we know and don't know. We know many of you are wanting to help out in some way. Many of you are far away--living on the west coast and you may not know how you can help. We created a GO FUND me for this Journey we are about to embark on a week. We have been in contact, through the just
serve.org website, with an nonprofit organization that is currently helping schools and students within those districts that have lost most of their supplies and are in need of quite a few items. We are such huge advocates of education so we figured what a great way to help those who help others every single day. We will be picking up much needed school supply items and also some hygiene items, clothes, shoes, paper goods, non perishable food items, and water, and delivering them directly to the center. Any amount you give is an amount that will be put to good use. So don't let a small donation stop you from giving. Think about it this way, $10 can get 10 much needed hygiene items or 10 boxes of crayons at the dollar store--little things that we take for granted that are much needed right now. And of course if you can give more, that would be great. We will be using our own funds whether or not people donate, but we figured this would be a great opportunity for those who want to help out but don't know how or want to make sure that 100% of their money is put towards the cause.

We are a bit unsure how this will go down with two toddlers in tow. But carps diem right!? The boys have been watching the news and have seen the devastating affects of this hurricane and we figured what a great opportunity for them to realize that even the smallest people can help in the biggest way.

We will be posting videos along the way. So spread the word! Share this video, donate if you can, come along this journey with us.

Picked up some of the supplies for our effort to help those affected by Hurricane Irma. Thank you so much to all of our donors! These kids are going to be so appreciative of your generosity.

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I am beyond thrilled!! Our GO FUND ME for Hurricane Irma has reached 56% of its goal!!

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Thanks to Tamie, Libby, Taylor, Lauri, Beckahm, Dick, and Kimber & Dave for your donations!!

Whose got $20 burning a hole in their pocket? Only $20 more will get us to an even $300! Click the link in comments

👇🏼to donate.

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This is what love, life, and beauty is made of

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❤️. I am so emotional right now as we have been receiving so many selfless and generous donations in our efforts to help those who have been affected by Hurricane Irma.

I want to thank each of you and tell you that YOU matter! That your donation MATTERS! You have impacted a life and that, to me, is the greatest success in life.

Your single act of generosity has already started a chain reaction of "paying it forward". Our little 6 year old has been so excited about this cause— as he has followed the devastations of these hurricanes since they were first projected. He saw the news, he witnessed the footage, and he wanted to help.

He has been watching the donations grow and it has impacted him! Today after seeing two more donations come in, he told me he wanted to join the cause. He retrieved his savings and after counting out his money he told me he wanted to give $25.

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Thank you for not only affected others lives but affecting and inspiring my babies!

There is no greater legacy I want to pass on to my boys than that of being a light for good in this world through serving humanity.

So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

A friend of Mikes Mom

We saw the bloodmobile outside the gym and made a quick detour. Go figure they were asking for donations to give to the hurricane victims (perfect way to add to our donation efforts for Hurricane Irma). This was the first time the boys have seen me donate blood—it was awesome that they let them come in and watch. They were so enthralled about the entire experience. They thought I was superhuman getting a needle stuck in my arm

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😂 #loveexperiencinglifewiththem #wearetheirexample #serve#love #giveback

We've reached our $300 mark! Only $200 more to go!! We are picking up more supplies the next two days. So if you can give please click the link in the comments

👇🏼—any amount you could give would help those who need it most

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💕 — with Mike Moncur.

Just finished up our last bit of shopping for hurricane Irma victims. This is what $1100 looks like packed into the back of a Tahoe

😲. We have plenty of room to spare though, so if you want to make a last minute donation please click the link in the comments

👇🏼! We didn't quite make it to our goal; we'd love to pick up much needed water for cooking, cleaning, and drinking. We are so excited to embark on our adventure down to Florida tomorrow

🎉. Thank you again for all of those who generously donated!

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🙏🏻We hope to get some footage of those whom you have helped! #themostimportantthingyoucando #giveback

This go fund me journey started back in Panama City. Hurricane Harvey hit and the boys were watching the news footage when we were down there. I felt like we should go help so we were about to drive out to the area to help out (we couldn’t get a hold of anyone because land lines were down so we had no idea how we were going to actually help. We did get a hold of one campsite that was opening it’s grounds to those displaced from the storm). We received notification that they didn’t want people coming into the state at this time because it would only create more chaos so we drove back home.

I had saved and planned for this trip to Florida—to take the kids to Legoland and Universal—for almost two years. Hurricane Irma hit one month before we were going to leave for our trip. I knew we needed to help. In doing some research I found this incredible nonprofit organization called OCPS. They service 191 schools in this district. The lady I was in touch with said that some of the kids and the schools in the area were greatly affected. They needed everything from food to water to paper goods, school supplies, clothes, back packs, etc. They were completely moved that we wanted to help out! We were going to use $800 of our own money and we decided to see if anyone else wanted to jump on board to contribute to the cause. We created a go fund me page, posted a video and we sent the message out to family and friends. We were surprised and over joyed to see money and supportive comments come in daily from friends and some family. We ended up raising over $300.

One of the most incredible parts of this experience was seeing how excited Beckahm was. He prayed daily that more people would donate so we could help more. He also was so moved by others donations that he decided to give of his own $25 from his savings 😻😻. We took him to the store and he picked out $25 things that he wanted to donate. It was so precious to watch. I’m so grateful he could be apart of this entire process.

After collecting the donations I went shopping for all of the supplies. I ended up separating each donation and sending the donors pictures of what their money bought a pic of their receipt. I think it’s so vital for donors to see exactly where their money is going. Think it’s more impactful for the boys to see where their money goes as well. We ended up filling up half the back of our Tahoe with supplies—it was definitely and exhausting experience but it truly was such an awesome experience. I honestly felt the Lords guidance the entire process.

We packed for our trip and drove 9 hours to Florida, and checked into our hotel. We received some last minute donations so we went to pick up bottles of water. (We recorded our updates along the way so people could feel like they were along the journey with us).

I received a call that night from Pam, the lady I had been coordinating this entire thing with and Kathleen, another OCPS coordinator. They both wanted to welcome us to Florida and they wanted to coordinate where we were dropping off the supplies to tomorrow. They informed us that they were in touch with the principal at Zellwood Elementary and he was trying to coordinate a meeting between us and a family whose children attends their school and who’s currently homeless because of the hurricane. Kathleen also told me that they had a surprise for us: tickets to Crayola. I told them we weren’t expecting anything and that those tickets should be given to kids that really need it. She wouldn’t take no for an answer and wanted to give them to us as a thank you!

The next morning we received a call from the Zellwood Principal and the schools counselor who met daily with the children at the school. They thanked us for this generous act of love and they expressed how surprised they were that we had done all of this. They told us that it was truly inspired because their was one particular family that the counselor had been visiting with (she mentioned she had been thinking about which family to choose to give this donation to for days) and the little girl always came into her office crying because she had lost her home and she always saw her mother crying because “she had lost her dream home”. They didn’t know how or where they were going to get help.

At this point I was completely overcome by emotion. This is why we are here on earth—to help serve and love our fellow men!

As we were driving to the school we got notice that two news stations were going to be at the school to interview and broadcast the entire thing. 😲😲. At this point I was a nervous wreck. We never expected this act to grow into something this huge. Mike was making fun of me because I was so nervous but he was just as nervous as I was.

Driving through the neighborhoods we saw so much damage—trees fallen and stacked by the sides of the road, trees fallen on top of homes. It was so sad.

Pulling up to the school, seeing the news trucks, and everything that happened over the course of that next hour will be burned in my mind for as long as I live—truly one of the most incredible moments of my existence!

We were met by the principal, the counselor, the director of OCPS, Kathleen, two news stations, and a few teachers. They thanked us graciously for what we were doing (we expressed we only wish we could help out more).

They walked us into the school library where the family was waiting—a little girl, age 7, a little boy age 10, and a mother. The boys didn’t know what to do seeing all of these new faces but I was impressed with how well behaved they were being—they were taking it all in. I couldn’t hold back my emotions when the moment we walked towards the family the little girl held her head in her hands and started sobbing. I got down on my knees and just grabbed on to her telling her I was so sorry for what happened. It was completely heart breaking. I looked up at the Mom who was also crying. I began to cry....it was all so emotional. You could feel the devastation and pain in that room.

After our initial introduction we sat with the family and listened as their mother relayed their story. She told us that the storm had hit their neighbors Home pretty bad, the lights went out and they were all huddled in one room in their home (she also has a 3 year old and a 7 month old). All of a sudden a huge tree fell on top of their roof and went through the house. They started screaming and ran out—no shoes—in the middle of the night, not knowing where to go. Ayala told us Arianna is still traumatized from the entire experience because the tree nearly crushed her and her 7 month old Sister. She showed us footage of their house the following morning—so devastating! They now had a ton of flooding and mold issues to deal with as well. They basically had to cut down the tree and clear the debris, with the help of the 10 year old boy, all by themselves. They have filed for govt assistance and are trying to figure things out with the insurance but so far nothing—it’s a complete mess!

We walked them down to our car, opened the trunk and let them pick what they wanted. Hope and gratitude washed over them. It was that moment that made all of this worth every second. To see their countenances completely transform right in front of us was the most beautiful thing! The kids were so excited about getting new clothes.

Beckahm helped load up all of the extra supplies onto a big cart and push it back into the school (OPCS will be delivering these extra items to more students in need).

We went back up to the library where we took pictures with the family and the people who help families like this every day. I was so moved to hear how tight knit this community is and how much OCPS does for all of these schools, teachers, and students. They are an incredible organization.

The family was interviewed and I was then interviewed (talk about terrifying). They told me at the end of it that this was the best interview they had ever interviewed and asked if I was in broadcast journalism because I was “a natural.” They were surprised when I told them I wasn’t. 😊

I wrote this down below but in saying goodbye to the family I told the little girl, who was beaming now from ear to ear: “just remember how strong you are! If you can get through this, you can get through anything!!” I had her repeat outloud to me affirmations like “I’m strong, I’m smart, I can do hard things, I am enough! I will get through this!” I felt the spirit burn within me. This was a powerful moment that I will never forget!

It was an honor to serve in this capacity. This “is what I want our legacy to be” I told the director of OCPS: to ignite the world in an all consuming flame of power and love; to let my children know that even the smallest people can make the biggest difference. They can change the world! This is truly all I want to do the rest of my life. It was so awesome to see the boys help out and get involved with this entire process. Mike told me that he felt inspired that this is what we are supposed to be doing as a family and that serving would have such an impact on our kids future.

This was a post I made on FB:

I have tried coming up with adequate words to describe—hands down—one of the most meaningful days of our life. My heart swells with so much love, pain, emotion, happiness and gratitude all at the same time.

Where to start???? (Beware, long post 😂, but it's a good one 😉).

We pulled up to the school and was met by a wonderful woman who led us upstairs to the library where 2 different news stations were waiting, the principal of Zellwood, the man in charge of this incredible non-profit organization, OCPS, the counselor who helps so many of the children in this school, Kathleen—such a beautiful person who I had been in contact with previous, who works for OCPS and who arranged for us to meet this family, and of course this beautiful family.

As soon as I saw the little 7 year old girl—face in her hands sobbing—my emotions got the best of me. I just wanted to hold onto her forever and tell her everything was going to be okay. We were informed before hand that she was having such a hard time loosing her home and seeing her mother cry every day at the loss of their "dream home" and the reality of now being homeless.

We listened as this beautiful, strong mother relayed to us what had happened the night Hurricane Irma hit. The power had gone out and they heard a tree fall on the neighbors house. She moved her 3 year old, 7 month old, 10 year old, and 7 year old into the living room—all huddled close together. This was a complete blessing from God as a huge tree fell through the roof on the other side of the house. Shoeless, and in the pitch black, she grabbed all 4 kids and ran out of the house. You could see the pain in her eyes as she retold this story, tears streaming down her face. The following day they went to access the damage—the tree completely destroyed their house, and the entire house was flooded. It took them days to remove the tree (with the help of their step dad, and 10 year old son). They are now dealing with mold issues throughout the entire house. The little 7 year old is dealing with not only physical loss but she is dealing with so much fear as she saw the tree fall through the house, nearly crushing her and her 7 month old sibling. So incredibly heartbreaking.

At first the little girl was completely overcome by her emotions and her pain but after the counselor encouraged her to see what we had brought, her countenance was entirely transformed. We had the opportunity to take them out to our car; they were in awe seeing all that that we were able to bring. And they wanted to make sure we thanked all of those who donated! They were beyond appreciative of these much needed supplies. Just to see the families demeanor completely change and to see a little bit of hope restored to them, made this entire trip worth it!

The principal and OCPS were so incredibly grateful that they could use the rest of the supplies to help so many more families in need.

I've already made this post so long but we were also able to visit with the principal and the man who oversees and helps distribute all of the donations OCPS receives. Talk about inspirational! The things we learned about this community and all that happened when this hurricane hit was nothing short of amazing! It brings my heart so much peace, hope and joy to see communities reach out in love and service for each other and truly come together as a family (and we are talking a HUGE family—they service 191 schools in this area and all of the families and teachers that go to those schools) when disasters like this occur. So many people are currently waiting for federal assistance, insurance agencies, etc. What a complete blessing that they all had immediate help when this disaster hit through this organization, the schools, the teachers, and the families ❤️❤️. A testament to me (which is rarely focused on now a days) that there is still so much good in the world!

We were not, by any means, expecting this to grow into something as huge as it did. We had no idea we'd be meeting so many in the community and be given so much thanks, and we sure never estimated 2 different news stations interviewing this entire process.

Despite my sweaty palms and feelings of inadequacy (let's face if, who likes watching themselves on TV?) 😝, I am grateful that they came so this incredible family could share their story! I'm grateful that the news stations took the time to share something enlightening and as I told them, my hope was that this outlet would inspire others—remind others who have to give back. And to also show, as we are trying to show our boys, that even little people can make the biggest difference.

"What you are doing—the example you are setting for your boys" said the director of OCPS, "is truly remarkable. I told him it was the only legacy I wanted to leave behind—for them to know it is their duty to help their fellowmen, to be a light in this world, and to ignite that flame of goodness so it spreads across the entire universe.

Kathleen told us, yesterday on the phone despite my insistence that we didn't want or expect anything, that she was wanted to give us 4 tickets to Crayola. And then when we got there she told us that she was also going to give us 4 tickets to Legoland for next year because she found out we already bought some for the rest of our trip here. I made a pinky promise to those beautiful children, after I exchanged numbers with their mother and promised to keep in touch, that when we came back next year we were going to take them with us! They were so excited—the little boy and Beckahm already started making plans. Kathleen overheard this promise and she told us that she was also going to give them tickets to Legoland as well so they could come with us. ❤️❤️❤️

As we said our last goodbyes and were ready to leave, Kathleen told me that Sea World heard what we had done and they wanted to give us passes to use before we left. 🤷🏼‍♀️At this point I insisted she give them to someone else but of course I lost that battle. 😲😲 I mean wow! The giving was endless today.

We received countless messages, texts, phone calls, pictures, links to both newscasts throughout the day. My heart is overjoyed by this entire experience. I am beyond grateful to all of you who donated. THANK YOU for making a difference!! The counselor at the school told us this was a complete answer to prayer as the family didn’t know how they were going to get the supplies they needed just a few months ago. ❤️❤️

We are going to keep the go fund me page up a little longer and any donations we receive will be given to other schools/ families that need assistance.

News broadcast:

Family getting results for students impacted by Hurricane Irma

More than $1,000 raised to help those displaced by hurricane

By Mark Lehman - Reporter

Posted: 1:44 PM, October 12, 2017

Updated: 2:50 PM, October 12, 2017

ZELLWOOD, Fla. - Some Orange Countystudents impacted by Hurricane Irma are getting relief from one family living hundreds of miles away.

Amanda Moncur said her family was planning a vacation from Alabama to the Orlando area, but when the storm hit, their plans changed.

"We figured this is an awesome opportunity for us to go down there to make a little detour from our family vacation and to help out," Moncur said.

Through a GoFundMe campaign, the family was able to raise more than $1,000 for supplies for those displaced from the hurricane.

Moncur said her church then put her in touch with Zellwood Elementary School, which has dozens of students who are still recovering from the storm.

Yadira Ayala has two students at the school and said her family was sent running during the height of the storm when a tree came crashing through the roof of their home.

"We ran out. My husband grabbed both of the smallest kids and we had no shoes, nothing," Ayala said. "We just ran out of the house."

Ayala's seven-year-old daughter burst into tears while meeting the Moncur family at the school Thursday.

"It's about your home is where your heart is and your memories are, so I can't imagine losing your home," Moncur said. Ayala and her two children have been staying with her brother's family since the storm. They received clothing, backpacks, gift cards and other essentials from the Moncur family.

"It's a really good blessing from them. I wasn't expecting it," Ayala said. "It's been hard, but I know we're going to have our home again someday."

Moncur said she also hope the donations are a good lesson for her children on the importance of giving back.

"We hope to inspire them to keep on giving and to spread that love throughout the world," Moncur said.

To donate to Orange County students for hurricane relief, please visit foundationforocps.org.

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida/orange-county/family-getting-results-for-students-impacted-by-hurricane-irma

WE ARRIVED in FL! Brings back so many memories of living here!

Last minute stop to grab some water with the rest of our donation money.

I am full of so many emotions right now. We were just in contact with OCPS to coordinate our onsite arrival tomorrow. They were so kind and warm in welcoming us to the state of Florida and were incredibly moved by these donations!

They have set it up so we can go deliver supplies to two of the schools that were hit by Hurricane Irma. There we will be introduced to two families that the principal has chosen to receive some of these much needed supplies—come to find out these families are homeless

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😥. These kids also come from single parent homes. Can you imagine!!??

So incredibly grateful that we have been given this opportunity to serve in this capacity! I only wish we could help so many more.

If you were wanting to help support this cause we are still accepting donations on the Go Fund Me site (link in comments

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Stay tuned as this beautiful journey continues to unfold tomorrow.

And please remember to express gratitude for all that you have been given, because truly we have been given so much!

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This is truly like Christmas morning!!! I could not sleep last night my stomach was full of butterflies. We are so excited to drop off supplies to families in this area who have lost most of what they had from Hurricane Irma #goforthandserve

The boys came up with this song on the way to the school

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😍, of course when I pulled the camera out they wouldn't sing it #makingmemories #gofundme #hurricaneirma

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💆🏻 I have anxiety

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😬. Focus on the cause, focus on the cause! We never expected this act of service to become something so huge! #gratefulbutterrified

A little footage of what we saw driving into the school---so much rubble and so many fallen trees.

NEWSCLIPS

Seriously one of the most memorable moments in my life. I love this sweet family. This was a little clip that News 6 posted on their FB. A moment I will always remember.

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The full broadcast by one of the networks