DeKalb business rallies community support for family in need

Life hasn’t always been rosy for Emily Vangorkum.

The Rockford woman, who is a single mother of two children, said she lost her job at the U.S. Office of Veterans Affairs due to government cuts, totaled her car in a crash recently and escaped domestic violence.

A GoFundMe, set up by family friend Olivia Wappler, is in place for Vangorkum and her family, who lost their car in an accident in Machesney Park in July. Vangorkum said she and both of her kids were in the vehicle at the time of the crash. No one suffered significant injuries.

“The way my car looked is crazy that we walked away from that,” Vangorkum said.

She said she and her family are trying to deal with their circumstances the best they can.

“It’s still kind of rough,” Vangorkum said. “I still am working on the insurance ... from the totaled car. It’s been almost a month since everything happened. I still don’t have a vehicle.”

Vangorkum said she was part of a group of VA employees whose jobs were eliminated in federal budget cuts under President Donald Trump and his administration in early May.

But with the help of local donor support, Vangorkum said things are starting to look up.

“It was really sweet when Miles [Mapes] reached out to me,” she said. “We actually had crossed paths maybe like six or seven years before that.”

Mapes runs and operates Wreckroom DeKalb, a rage and splatter room experience.

Mapes said Vangorkum seemed surprised to receive his support. He has been using his platform online to rally donations to help Vangorkum.

“I know a lot of people get tired of seeing the GoFundMes, and we want to be able to offer a way for people to be able to help her and get something in return,” Mapes said.

Wreckroom intends to match up to 50% for every $50 donation to the cause every day through Aug. 31, Mapes said. Anyone who donates $100 or more is entered into a raffle for a chance to win either a free two-person wreckroom with a TV to smash or a free two-person blacklight neon splatter experience.

Mapes encourages those interested in supporting the fundraising campaign to show him a screenshot of their donation. He said he’s already had a handful of people take him up on the offer.

“It’s been heartwarming to see that people see that this is a deal that they can help someone and help themselves,” Mapes said. “It’s nice to see people take the opportunity to look out for others.”

Vangorkum said she also appreciates the support of Wappler and her husband. She said the Wapplers let her borrow an extra truck until she can get a new vehicle. Still, Vangorkum expressed optimism for the future, saying that she started a new data entry position for a diabetes clinic recently.

“It was about three months that I went without a job,” she said. “Unemployment barely covers anything, so it was just a huge relief to get that.”