We are a family of 4 with 2 early elementary age children. The evening of America’s 250th Independence Day, a severe thunder storm swept through our town, right after we finished sparklers with the kids. The day before, we had returned the soft top to our canopy/gazebo we have over the kids’ sandbox for shade. We’ve used this canopy for the last 4 years so our children don’t get burned by the sun since our yard doesn’t have any shade trees.

We typically take down the soft top during inclement weather (and all winter long) as it acts like a sail. The wind has ripped past soft tops, and carried away and mangled a cheaper pop up version when we originally moved into this property.

Well, in the excitement of 4th of July and the big storm coming, we forgot about the canopy. We took cover in our house and lost power. Then, we noticed our gazebo. In our neighbor’s yard! Despite multiple stakes, including deep spiral ones, it had lifted from the soaked ground and flown across our neighbor’s fence and into their yard. My husband and I went in the rain and lightening to take off the soft top so it wouldn’t further be swept along. Amazingly it hadn’t hit our neighbor’s shed or house, but it was terribly mangled.

We are asking for generosity from anyone in a better financial position than ourselves, if they’re so inclined, to help us replace this gazebo so our kids can continue playing safely in their beloved sandbox (handmade by their grandfather!).

My husband is a teacher in an inner city and I run a local nonprofit helping our town’s residents in the areas of youth opportunity, access to healthcare, financial mobility, and basic needs. Many months we live paycheck to paycheck, and last year we had a huge financial setback when our well failed and we had to put in a new one. A new gazebo is completely out of our budget.

Since our soft top is still in perfect condition, we’d like to replace the gazebo with the same model number. Unfortunately it’s well out of our price range at $888, not including CT taxes and shipping.

If anyone feels inclined to help a young family, especially young children, enjoy the simple pleasure of playing in their sandbox with a little shade, we’d be so grateful.