An online fundraiser for a Rossland family whose lost a husband and father in this month’s earthquake in turkey has now raised $7,700.
Chantelle Drouin established the gofundme campaign for Cherryl Forrest, whose husband and father to her three children, Midrap, died in the magnitude 7.8 quake on Feb. 6.
Also killed were two dozen extended family members.
Drouin said Forrest was born and raised in the West Kootenay but lived in Turkey for 13 years, where she taught English.
Following a coup attempt, Forrest and her children left turkey five years ago, “to give her children a better life and more opportunities and a safer environment.”
However, her husband stayed behind to care for family.
“Cheryl and her sons, Elias, Omar, and her daughter Mary Zozan have lost their husband and father, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and many friends,” Drouin wrote.
“I am reaching out to our communities looking for support for Cheryl to be able to stay home with her children and not have to worry about financial stress as she has been living on a single income in Canada.”
She said Forrest and her children will travel back to Turkey when it is safe to support their family and manage the losses.
“Cheryl is one of the kindest, and most hard-working individuals that I have had the pleasure of knowing and her dedication to helping families and children in our area is endless, and I would love to see that support come back to her,” Drouin wrote.