A while ago, I started #goodmouthmonday. It was my way to “goodmouth” someone who I believe deserves more credit than they are getting. Click here to read about how I got this idea.
On Thanksgiving 2023 I want to share the story of voice actor Billie Jo Konze. While you may be visiting friends and family for a traditional meal, Billie Jo and her friend Brandon have other things on their mind. Please take a few minutes to hear their story:
Click here to watch drone footage of the building that was devastated by the three-alarm fire. Apparently, someone set off fireworks on the roof and one thing led to another. Billie writes:
The building was not up to code. There were squatters. Security issues. A faulty fire suppression system. It’s a MIRACLE no one died in this fire.
After she had watched my goodmouth video, Billie Jo added:
“Thank you so much for sharing this. We went today to try to get into the building early to retrieve what we could, but we were told that we would have to sign a waiver, not just for liability, but also waiving our right to sue the building owners for the negligence that led to this fire in the first place. The class action lawyer was on site, and was advising tenants not to sign if they wanted to be in the suit, so none of us signed.
Not signing that was the right thing to do, and YET, I am heartbroken that I cannot retrieve sentimental objects that cannot be replaced. As upset as I am about my booth and everything else I lost, losing my grandmother’s dresses and other reminders of them is the worst blow of all. We are still hopeful that the lawyers are able to take action to get us access to our own stuff that the building management (actually the company to whom the property management turned the building over) is currently holding hostage.”
GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN
I have a lot of people to be grateful for, and Billie Jo is certainly one of them. I don’t like it when bad things happen to good people, and the only thing you and I can do, is to help and support Billie Jo and Brandon as they are trying to rebuild their lives. I really hope you are able and willing to contribute to the fund that has been set up. As of now, the financial goal has already been reached, but I think Brandon was being very modest when he asked for only ten thousand dollars.
One of the things Billie Jo lost in the fire, was her Studiobricks booth, and replacing that alone is going to be very expensive. So, I am setting a new goal: fifteen thousand dollars!
I am counting on you to reach it, so Billie Jo and Brandon have some breathing room.
Let’s give them a huge Thanksgiving surprise!
Thank you so much!
PLEASE NOTE
My blog is being targeted by aggressive spam bots. That’s why I had to put an equally aggressive spam filter in place. This means that when you comment, you will receive a response that your comment has been flagged as spam. Don’t worry. All I need to do is approve your comment, and it will show up. Thanks for understanding!
Donated but does she have access to a booth/studio? Probably help more if someone was close enough to donate studio time.
Good point! Some colleagues in her area have opened up their booths for her, and she’s able to record auditions where she is. It’s pretty amazing to see how we all come together to help out. Thanks for donating, Moose!