LOUISVILLE, Colo. — There has been no shortage of support from fellow Coloradans for victims of the Marshall Fire. One Louisville local is using his creative skills to raise money for the people who lost everything.
Stephen Ross has lived in Louisville for the past 14 years. A musician by trade, Ross dabbles in graphic design, and decided to create a logo for Louisville after the fire.
"Had this idea in my head of using the word Louisville and plucking the word love out of that," Ross said. “A way that I can contribute, because my artistic skillset is not super helpful in these times, logistically, but maybe through the creation of this it could create some town pride."
Ross put the logo on a sticker and posted it on Facebook. He was surprised by the number of people who wanted to purchase one. The stickers generated around $3,800, which Ross said was donated to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund.
A couple of days ago, Ross decided to launch a website after the interest in the stickers called LouisvilleLoveCO.com. The logo was put onto shirts and sweatshirts, with Ross saying the money raised from those products will also go to the Boulder County Wildfire Fund.
"In essence, I have a business with, you know, a really bad business model because we won't be making a cent personally," said Ross. “The tiniest drop in this massive bucket of need. But it's what I can do. It's what we can do.”
One of the families grateful for people like Ross is the Collins. The family lived in the Coal Creek Ranch neighborhood, and lost their home in the Marshall Fire.
“Being in the neighborhood right now, you know, I have dreams of this. I can't get away from it in my sleep. I can't get away from it in my waking hours," said Tucker Collins. “It's a cliche, right, you hear about people coming together, you hear about it, you feel it, you're participating in a little bit. But when you're on the other side of receiving it, it's a whole other ballgame.”
Ross said the shirt sales have been doing well for the past few days. He expects orders will be shipped in the next two to three weeks, and believes they will arrive in mid-February. There are plans to keep the website online until the end of February.
