Stouffer Family Fun-raiser

Name: Stouffer Family Fun-raiser
Start: 2026-02-15T15:00:00-06:00
End: 2026-02-15T18:00:00-06:00
Location: American Legion Boone Post 77

Schedule

Sun Feb 15 2026 at 03:00 pm to 06:00 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

American Legion Boone Post 77 | Belvidere, IL

Valentines weekend should be filled with love.... Let's help fill the Stouffer family's broken hearts with TONS of it!
On January 16th they survived hell on earth.
Joel was awakened by smoke detectors, grabbed Bear (their dog) & headed down the hall. Once in the kitchen area he was met with a wall of fire & had a flaming hot ceiling fan rained down on him. Bear leapt from his arms & ran to hide, back in the bedroom. Joel was burnt & had no choice but to exit. Thankfully, he was able to do so. The fire department was unable to get to or locate the 4 legged family members in time & both Bear & Leo (cat), perished in the fire. Joel was rushed off by ambulance to the burn unit. The family met him there.
If you've seen the original photos from that day, you know the bedrooms were still standing. Smoke damaged. Wet. But they were there! There was hope! Hope of trinkets, memories, photos, jewelry, etc. being salvageable as they sat at the hospital awaiting word on Joel.
At that point, things went from hell on earth to just straight twisted!
The fire rekindled & took EVERYTHING!
There are no walls, no toilets, no decearning what was where just 12 hours earlier.
AJ posted & there is no way I can match his way with words.... I'll share them in a post.
Now - about this FUN-raiser...
If you know the family & have photos of (or with) them.... PLEASE bring them! There will be photo albums to add them to, at the event. Yes, of course this event is to do a little to help financially. But it's more about raising their spirits!
If you aren't privileged enough, to know them personally, let me tell you a little about them....
Kathy, my best friend of a couple decades, my wifey:
She's a fierce Mama & Grandma FIRST! She's also funny, loving, giving, & loves to make others smile.
Joel, her husband (my hubby in law):
I don't even know where to begin. They just don't make men like him. He is the MOST loyal, dedicated, hard working, loving, chill, man, EVER! When it comes to Kathy... I don't EVER have to worry about my best friend. I know that man has her back & will move heaven & earth for her, ALWAYS! He's no different with his kids & grands. He may shake his head & disagree in silence. But he's still there, in every aspect, in any capacity, in every way... no matter what!!!!
AJ & CJ are the "kids". No, those aren't short for anything.... yes, those are their names & yes.... Kathy skipped BJ for a reason ;)
Both of them have grown into amazing adults!!! Growing up - they've pushed back, they've made questionable choices, they've given their parents a run for their money a time or two. And guess what..... with every lesson has come growth. With every hardship, they've grown deep appreciation. With every challenge - they have NEVER felt alone, because they have always known that Mom & Dad are there!
They became the people they were taught to be. Loyal, giving, fun! Both have been taken advantage of, due to those big hearts & both remain unchanged.... just a little wiser.
CJ is the proud Mama of 4. Three beautiful, smart, sassy (that part is her karma), little girls & a cute little bit who's about to be two years old.
That adorable little boy.... his name is Jack. Unlike "AJ" & "CJ", JACK does stand for something.
J (Joel)
A (AJ)
C (CJ)
K (Kathy)
If that in itself doesn't explain how close this family is.... I don't know what does.
Please join us & help bring smiles to their faces! They are strong, they are resilient, they WILL be ok. Let's just celebrate them & raise their spirits.
A huge thank you to my American Legion family for jumping in without question to help make this happen so fast! I'm forever grateful, again!