Community Fundraiser to be held for Burnsed Family
A fundraiser complete with live music, food and a silent auction will be held this weekend to help support one of the island’s longtime families — the Burnseds, who lost their home to a fire.
The Sanibel Fire and Rescue District and Captiva Island Fire Control District, as well as off-island partner agencies, responded to the residence at 4596 Brainard Bayou Road on Sanibel on June 22. The home of Laurel Burnsed, and five of her family members, was deemed a total loss and uninhabitable. While most of their pets survived, they lost two of them in the tragedy.
“When a house burns down, the needs are not necessarily met by insurance in any way,” Joni Stokes, a friend of the family for 40 years, said.
She added that the community wanted to help the family get their footing.
“The cost of everything is a little overwhelming,” she said.
Stokes said Burnsed is the centerpiece of the Captiva rental business, always going above and beyond for those she helps, along with being friends with all the businesses. Her son, Joey, is a captain and is loved in the fishing community.
“They all have hearts of gold,” she said of the family. “They are always there for everybody else.”
Joey said they are doing a lot better, and each day gets better as they go. He said they are staying at one of the winter time guest homes until the beginning of December, when they will have to find another place.
Currently the family is dealing with insurance and trying to get contractors through it to rebuild the home and the cost associated with that.
“Everybody has been great. FISH has been a great help. It’s overwhelming,” Joey said of the support.
He said this is not the first time the community has showed up in a big way. After an accident in 2010, the community raised $50,000 to help in a time of need.
Joey tried to say they have already given enough, but the community expressed it is not normal circumstances and it is there to help.
“It’s been awesome. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to live,” he said, adding that they are extremely grateful and blessed to live in a community like Sanibel.
Stokes has put together a Community Fundraiser from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Sanibel American Legion, 4249 Sanibel-Captiva Road.
“It will be a heart-touching day, as well. Sanibel needs a good party,” Stokes said.
The Marty Stokes Band, as well as the Damon Fowler Band out of the Tampa area, will provide the music.
Stokes said Paper Fig Kitchen Owner Jeramie Campana, a gourmet deli and catering business that had a location at Tahitian Gardens before the storm, is heading up the food for the event. She said he has reached out to six or seven restaurants to donate the food.
“We are asking for a $25 donation to have the dinner there. It’s not a door fee — if someone is willing to donate to help with the food,” Stokes said.
There has been tremendous support and participation from businesses for the event’s silent auction with close to 80 items available. The auction will close at 6 p.m. the night of the event. Some of the items include two-night stays at resorts around the island, both half- and full-day fishing charters, cruises to outer islands, original artwork, baskets and gift cards.
Stokes said everyone she has asked to donate has done so graciously.