Rooms by Jess helps local family going through hard time remodel home
ONALASKA, WI — An area business wanted to celebrate its 10th anniversary by giving back to the community that helped grow to what it is today.
But that gift has become a community-wide effort to help a family in need.
The owner of Rooms by Jess, Jessica Apfel-Miller, sent more than 200 letters to friends and clients to nominate a family who really deserved a helping hand.
That is when she learned about the Stage family, who lives in Onalaska.
The family of five donates countless hours to the school district.
But that is not the reason the family was picked.
One of the daughters is going through treatment because of a thyroid problem and the mother recently went through surgery because of a brain tumor.
After reading the nominations, Apfel-Miller knew she wanted to help by redecorating one of the family’s rooms for free.
“I said, ‘Well what room do you want to do?’ And they said, ‘Let’s do the living room.’ And I went into the living room and I noticed they were starting to work on their kitchen, and I’m like hmm, maybe this is going to move a little bit further and kinda looked in their bathroom, and I was like, ‘Oh, maybe they want to do some work in their bathroom,'”said Apfel-Miller.
But Apfel-Miller isn’t doing it alone.
More than 20 business have also joined the effort to help the Stage family.
William Stage said he’s overwhelmed by the love and support his family is receiving from the community.
“It’s just amazing. I never thought that even people we don’t know would step up and say, ‘Hey, we’re here to help’ and the people we do know have stepped up just to get the kids where they need to go because we try to keep their lives as normal as possible,” said Stage.
If you would like more information about how you can be part of helping the Stage family visit, https://www.facebook.com/roomsbyjess
