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Another year has gone by — seemingly in a blink. It has been another year of trials and tribulations, testing our strengths as individuals, companies, and communities. Labor and supply shortages have been extremely challenging this year. These shortages have tested all of us in one way or another, stretching us in a way that would have been unimaginable in years prior. With that said, the Christmas in July and Furnace Fund giving events at Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing — while challenging — couldn’t have come at a better time to meet the needs of many deserving families and individuals in our communities.
After poring over recommendations, Barron couldn’t just pick two…so they picked THREE Christmas in July recipients to receive gifted comfort systems this year — Kim Eagle, Don and Diana Jackson, and Stacy and Darell Smith. And due to supply chain challenges as well as a surplus of recommendations from July, Barron selected their 2021 Furnace Fund recipients early — Michelle Moulds and Edna Peacher. Expediting these giving processes ensures these families will get what they need now, in order to source and provide heat for them this winter.
“We are grateful to receive so many nominations from our customers about good families in our communities who are facing difficult challenges,” said John Barron, owner of Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing. “It’s an honor to provide these five recipients with energy efficient heating and cooling, especially while faced with continued labor and supply shortages. We’re really committed to fulfilling our mission of improving lives in Northwest Washington.”
Barron’s 2021 Christmas in July and Furnace Fund recipients include the following:
• Kim Eagle of Bellingham — Kim is the perfect example of resilience and the power to overcome. As a long-time gardener and two-time cancer survivor, Kim was recently involved in a devastating accident. While shoveling bark roadside at a customer’s home, a driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel hit her from behind, pinning her to her work trailer. On top of a broken pelvis and abdominal injuries, both of Kim’s legs had to be amputated, leaving her with a long road of recovery. Lacking a properly working furnace for years prior, Kim’s story was one that was impossible to look past. Barron was honored to equip her home with a new Daikin ductless system, while her family and friends have been remodeling the space to accommodate her wheelchair — showing her a well-deserved outpouring of support to make her life comfortable for the season ahead.
• Don and Diana Jackson of Sedro Woolley — The Jacksons received many Christmas in July recommendations, each with one trait in common —what loving and giving people they are. Don and Diana share a home with their adult special needs son; all three on disability and having fallen on very hard times. Don is battling progressed cancer, and with a failed furnace and no cooling in their mobile home, the summer heat was unbearable — and soon, so will be the cold. With very limited finances and relying on space heaters alone, the Jacksons deservingly received the gift of a Daikin ductless system — one that will make their home more comfortable year-round.
• Stacy and Darell Smith of Bellingham —The Smiths are a notable and incredibly giving couple in our community. Stacy is the director at the Firs After School Program and Forest School, and her and her husband Darell have been very influential in the lives of numerous children over the years — many in the foster care system. Darell suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, a disease close to the hearts of the Barron family, which has left him wheelchair-bound for many years. The heat has a drastic effect on Darell — something as simple as a hot shower can leave him unable to lift himself back into his chair —proving what a godsend a ductless system would be to cool their home. Relying on his disability and Stacy’s single income, a new system was out of reach on their own. Barron provided the couple with a two-head Daikin ductless system — a gift that is truly deserved.
• Michelle Moulds of Bellingham — Michelle is a true example of selflessness and care for others. An occupational therapist working at the hospital, she looks after her 95-year-old father and opened her home to foster a little boy. Just as the pandemic was unfolding, the fostering arrangement was turning into an adoption, creating a permanent home for her now son. Michelle began reducing her hours at work to accommodate the transition from foster family to a permanent family, as well as to attend multiple therapy appointments for her son. And with childcare costs increasing, their failing furnace was pushed to the bottom of their list of needs. The Barron team installed an efficient Lennox furnace, providing them with the gift of comfort and warmth they can come home to.
• Edna Peacher of Burlington — Edna is a loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother that has fallen on hard times. She has battled breast cancer since 2017, working hard throughout her treatments to try and make ends meet. A true fighter, she is now a cancer survivor. But recently left by her husband, she is now facing an even larger financial burden on her own. Without adequate heat, Edna has been known to use space heaters in her home to try and make do. But this season is looking a little brighter for Edna, as Barron installed a new single-head Daikin ductless system, giving her a boost she deserves for this new chapter in a warm and comfortable home.
From nominations to facilitating, to installations and more, Barron would like to thank all who have been involved in this year’s Christmas in July and Furnace Fund giving events. Committed to “Improving Lives,” the team is honored to be able to help such deserving people in our communities.