820 E. Ave A "Not On The Level" The Rose Garden Disaster   For every natural disaster we give it a name but the Rose Garden didn't go through an earthquake, a flood or tornado. Instead, we went through a man-made disaster with no warning; just a cracking sound with the house swaying back and forth and then collapsing four feet to the ground. The house slid and fell off its foundation because it wasn't attach to the foundation of the house and nothing was done right to prevent the house from falling. Nine people lived in this house who were inside at the time. They were either sleeping, watching tv, in the bathroom or sitting at the dining room table chatting. No one was seriously injured but all were badly shaken and shocked by what just happened. Just before the house collapsed, paramedics arrived to take Tina to the hospital for an asthma attack. Susan and Marie were chatting at the dining room table. Eric was lying in bed watching tv and Arleen was in the bathroom. Everyone else was sleeping in their rooms. Just as the paramedics walked down the ramp and reached the front gate they heard a cracking sound and watched as the house collapsed to the ground. Inside, Arleen was thrown against the opposite wall and debris began falling on top of her. The ceiling fell on top of Eric as the east wall blew out two feet from its structure when the house landed on the ground. Susan and Marie were chatting in the dining room when a beam broke in half and raised the floor up between them. Those who were sleeping were awakened by the force of the house hitting the ground and quickly exited the building. As Arleen is trying to get out of the house with the aid of the paramedics, she calls and tells me, "the house fell down!" I could hear her breathing hard but I thought she was out of her mind and possibly hallucinating. I mean, come on, there's no way a house that had its foundation leveled just a few years ago could be sitting on the ground! I told her I would call her back. On my way to the Rose Garden I called Arleen and told her to explain this to me again which she did and I told her, "what do you mean the house fell down?" She was yelling at this point and again told me the house fell to the ground. The more she talked the faster I drove because she was sounding hysterical. I finally caught sight of the house and all I could say was, "oh my God!" I stood in the midst of all this chaos feeling helpless, confused and shocked by what I was seeing. My mind was racing with thoughts that this just couldn't be real. It's a nightmare and when I wake up in the morning this will all go away but it didn't go away. The house still sits defeated and crushed and nine people lost their homes. The following night I'd just learned of the death of one of my brothers and I was brought as low as any human being could go without actually dying. I felt desperate, defeated and totally alone and told God I'm in some serious trouble here and if He wants this Rose Garden to remain open He better help me because I can't do it alone. The next day Judy Morales showed up at the Rose Garden and told me she was going to help me. Later that afternoon, Ann Thompson, director of United Way, called and told me they were giving me a $15,000 challenge grant. After talking to Judy and Ann, I felt the weight lifting off my shoulders. Since then, restaurants have helped with food; people have stopped by to offer encouragement and volunteer to help out, some stopping by donating funds and we're still here thanks to everyone who rose up within this community to offer their support. Richard Therriault, Construction and Safety, Jason Vandever and the City of Temple I am very grateful to for offering their support when the Rose Garden suffered a major loss and left us in a very vulnerable state. Thank you for giving us a hand up to help pull us out of this destruction. We are survivors of this disaster that struck us on August 14, 2006 but we still need your help with funds to purchase a two-story house next door to the Rose Garden. Nine people were displaced and we lost our central kitchen. We at the Rose Garden have been pulling together, sharing our bedrooms and personal items and trying to get past the devastation we have gone through during this man-made disaster. I have a Rose Garden Crisis Fund set up at the Extraco Bank in downtown Temple for the purpose of obtaining funds for the house we are trying to purchase. The Rose Garden is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization and I will give you the necessary documents validating this upon request @ 254 773-9014 or 254 541-6346. Again, thank all of you for coming to our aid during this crisis and showing your support. We greatly appreciate your compassion and concern. By Donating to The Rose Garden Send your donations to: Extraco Bank The Rose Garden Crisis Fund 18 South Main Temple, Texas 76501 c/o Debbie Martin   Thank You, Sherri Slaton Executive Director