by Dawn Scovill, Jupiter, Fla.
Mineral, Vir. – The morning after Hurricane Irene tore through New England this past August, Stacey Myles, a resident of Greenwood Lake, N.Y., a quiet community about 50 miles outside New York City, used her cell phone to post an ominous message on her Facebook page: “I woke up to a trickling sound and when I opened my bedroom door there was 5 inches of water pouring down my walls and covering my floor. We have been kicked out of our home and all of my things are getting ruined … everything we own.”
The next day, in South Florida, Katie Carlo read Myles’s desperate post. A fellow member of the Kid Rock community – fans of the musician who communicate through online groups and forums – Carlo had never personally met Myles, but, feeling compassion for the single mother of two, she shared the post with other Kid Rock fans, urging them to do what they could. Among the first to respond was Sonia Woolf, a Mineral resident, who immediately sprung into action and created an online account for cash donations. Before nightfall, two more friends in need were discovered, addresses were hunted down, and a new, unusual fan group was born – one that goes beyond simple chit chat and the sharing of concert photos.
Dedicated to responding first to members of the Kid Rock community in times of natural disaster, The Kid Rock Life Line was informally established on Facebook on August 29, 2011 – the morning after Myles’s post. Within 24 hours, the group topped 40 members and care packages had been sent from points all across the country. Praise and reassurance were dispensed daily on the group’s public Facebook “wall” as members exchanged information via their growing network. In less than a month, membership doubled, the effort raised nearly $800, and countless supplies had been received by desperate hurricane victims.
A multi-media specialist by day, Woolf said the idea of the group came from another Kid Rock fan and Facebook friend, Lisa Shinn-Jones. Woolf decided to act for personal reasons. “As a former house fire victim,” she explained, “I know what it’s like to go through a disaster.” After filing for non-profit status in September, she went on to say, “I didn’t know anything about starting a charity, but friends on the KRLL helped me out. We’re just waiting for approval now.”
Dawn Scovill, author of the novel CKR and an early member of the KRLL, said this: “As a role model, Bob Ritchie [the musician’s real name] taught us to give back to our friends and community. I get encouragement and support from these people every day. It’s an honor to be part of this.”
“I don’t have a lot of money, myself,” said Shinn-Jones, “but I CARE about my friends … they would do the same for me.”
Patti Albericci, a resident of Saddlebrook, N.J. and another Irene victim, wrote a public note to the group: “I am so humbled by this experience. You guys ROCK and I am so lucky to have you all in my life.”
For now, the KRLL forum is quiet. Members chat with care package recipients, disaster victims share stories of how they’re paying the goodwill forward, and everyone talks about the future. “Members are already gathering supplies for the next round,” Woolf said, “and the ChipIn.com account is still taking donations. We aren’t wishing that something happens to another member of the Kid Rock community, but, if it does, we’re ready. ”
The Kid Rock Lifeline
Sonia Woolf (Founder)
206 N Timber Tribe
Mineral, VA 23117
540-408-8963