LOUISVILLE, Colo. — Sometimes, kids need superheroes in their lives, especially when the going gets tough.
"We had to just run, getting kids in the car, animals in the car and go," said Kate Daly, whose family barely made it out of their home in Louisville before the Marshall Fire tore through. "It's just hard. You kind of want everything for your kids, and you want them to be happy and healthy. And so watching them have as hard of a time, honestly, as we've had, emotionally, it's difficult."
Lindsey McMorran is a realtor and mom by day, and superhero Facebook organizer by night. Her "Hope Lives Here Colorado" Facebook group has a simple mission: Build bedrooms for children who list everything in the Marshall Fire.
"When I saw the fires going through, just like everybody hurt my heart," she said. "So, I interview the families, and then we create the wish list. Kate's was the first family."
McMorran says people have been checking off family members' Amazon wish lists, and she has been storing the donated furniture and decor in her garage and home.
She asks every child if they could have one thing back, what it would be. For one little boy, it was a loft bed, because he feels safer up high after the fire.
"This is a milestone for these kids that they're never gonna forget, and it's a scary one," McMorran said. "And so if we can do something that will at least change it a little bit and make it to where when they look back they go, 'Do you remember when you got that brand new bedroom?' I want them to be able to look back and know how much they were loved."
The bedroom reveals for Fiona Daly and her brother were posted this week. Volunteers took three hours to set up the two rooms, and then staged a big surprise for the entire family.
"We came back, there were almost 10, I think, superheroes outside to welcome us in," said Kate. "It was just such a huge bright spot in this tragedy for us as a family. It was just so nice to see them happy and excited."
Her daughter Fiona, 3, is in a unicorn phase, and thinks her room is magical
"I like all of it," Fiona said with a big smile.
The Facebook group has enough donations and volunteers to build 22 bedrooms, but they have received applications from more than 70 families.
"So some of these kids have just been sleeping on a mattress on the floor," said McMorrant. "We're coming! We're coming as soon as we can."
That's where Denver7 Gives steps in. Thanks to generous donations from viewers to the Wildfire Relief Fund, Denver7 Gives is pledging $50,000 to build 50 children's bedrooms.
"Because of them, now we're going to be able to to finish it," said McMorran. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
For the children who lost everything in the Marshall Fire, these rooms are a safe space. For their parents, that is all that really matters.
"The mission is to provide something for the kids but to have," said Day. "But especially after something like this, to have somebody just come in and do it for you is such a gift for parents, as well."
If you would like to donate to the group's GoFundMe, click here.
Denver7 features the stories of people who need help and now you can help them with a cash donation through Denver7 Gives. One hundred percent of contributions to the fund will be used to help people in our local community.
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