Dec. 16th, 2021 was a day we won’t forget. Denise saw smoke from the kitchen window while prepping supper. She ran outside and quickly came back to alarm me of a fire blazing in the lean-to that was attached to our storage garage.
I darted outside and saw the lawn tractor, the garage wall behind it and the roof burning strongly.
The fire department arrived within 10 minutes and did an amazing job for close to an hour of extinguishing the quickly spreading flames.
Although the garage is still standing, the inside, along with most of the contents, were badly burned and the attached lean-to was destroyed along with everything in it, including lawn tractor, mower and snow blower.
(total loss, including the garage rebuild, will be approx. $50,000)
However, we are very grateful in so many ways:
- No one was injured.
- The volunteer fire dept came so quickly.
- People in our small community showed up to help.
- Our home, which was 25’ away, didn’t start on fire.
- We were home when it happened.
- We were able to safely remove and save our concert equipment trailer.
- The wind was blowing in the safest possible direction.
- Friends were praying for protection.
The business/ministry portion that was lost in the fire consists of Cat.Chat DVDs, CDs, filming sets, VBS props, 6 unicycles and some concert equipment. Other expenses are to clean up the mess, dispose of the garage and then rebuild.
One of the miracles was that the fire destroyed almost everything except for our two vinyl Cat.Chat concert banners of Jesus and Mary. They were in a cardboard tube, and even though everything around them burnt, they are both perfectly intact.
Unfortunately, the insurance company is not covering any ministry/business related items that were lost, so we are asking for donations, if you feel called, to help replace those items that were lost as a result of the fire and to help rebuild the garage.
Covid has certainly affected our ministry in the last two years and this fire hasn’t helped.
For the past twenty years, thousands of kids and families have been impacted by our Cat.Chat concerts, programs, videos and music. Your generosity will help us to continue our mission in providing resources that make the faith come alive for kids and families.
As a thank you for any donation over $150, I (the Cat.Chat Man) will build a short customized song/video for your child (or children, god-child, nephew or niece, students in your classroom, etc.) to help inspire and encourage them in the Catholic faith or simply bring joy to their heart.
May Jesus and Mary bless you and protect your families during the rest of this Christmas season. Thank you again for your continued prayers and support.
Sincerely,
Gerald and Denise Montpetit
Founders of Cat.Chat Productions Inc.
