Skip to main content

Community rallies to replace $7,000 in stolen tools for handyman

By CNN

Click here for updates on this story

    LEE’S SUMMIT, Missouri (KMBC) — What started as a devastating loss for one Lee’s Summit handyman quickly turned into a story of community support.

Jake Edwards, owner of Make It Jake’s, said someone stole nearly $7,000 worth of tools from the back of his truck after he parked it while working on a job in downtown Lee’s Summit.

“Someone came by and unloaded the contents of the back of my truck,” Edwards said.

Edwards started his handyman business about three years ago after realizing there was strong demand for his work.

He handles mostly residential jobs, along with some commercial work, taking on projects ranging from siding repairs to replacing faucets.

Last week, his utility trailer needed repairs, so he loaded all of his tools into his truck instead. He said that decision ended up costing him every tool he owned.

“It completely crippled my business,” Edwards said.

He admits a series of circumstances led to the theft.

“It was kind of a perfect storm of mistakes that I own,” he said.

Wanting to help, Edwards’ cousin started a GoFundMe campaign to replace the stolen tools.

The community responded almost immediately.

“By Saturday night, so within 24 hours, we raised the entire amount of the tools that were lost,” Edwards said.

He said the generosity of friends, neighbors and strangers left him overwhelmed.

“The power of people, when they believe in you…” Edwards said.

Lee’s Summit police are continuing to investigate the theft.

Thanks to the donations, Edwards has already replaced his tools and says he’s taking extra precautions to prevent it from happening again.

“It’s like Fort Knox back there now,” he said.

Edwards said he’s photographed every new tool and recorded each serial number, and he hopes to thank everyone who helped get his business back on its feet.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

New Yorker describes hantavirus quarantine experience after cruise ship outbreak

▶ Watch Video: New Yorker quarantined after hantavirus cruise speaks out A New York native is among 16 American passengers who are quarantining in Nebraska after being on the cruise ship that is at the center of the deadly hantavirus outbreak. Jake Rosmarin is one of three New Yorkers who were on the M/V Hondius. Rosmarin, originally from Monroe, New York, described his time so far at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's National Quarantine Unit."I know I'm in the best care possible, and I'm just trying to stay positive," he told CBS News New York's Mary Calvi in an interview Wednesday. There have been 11 confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus so far, including three deaths, since the outbreak began. Seventeen Americans and one British dual citizen were flown to the U.S. Monday. Of the 18, one tested "mildly PCR positive" for the Andes strain of the hantavirus, and another began showing symptoms, U.S. health officials said Sunday. Sixteen of the Americans, including the one who tested positive, were taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Fifteen of those, including Rosmarin, were placed in single-occupancy rooms at the medical center's National Quarantine Unit. The person who tested positive for the Andes strain was initially placed in the center's biocontainment unit, but was medically cleared Wednesday to be moved to the quarantine unit. "I feel well," Rosmarin said. "I have no symptoms, and I'm just ready to cope with the next 40 days left here in quarantine."Meanwhile, the passenger who showed symptoms, along with the person they were traveling with, were flown to Atlanta for treatment and monitoring at a biocontainment facility at Emory University Hospital. What the day-to-day is like in quarantineIn quarantine, Rosmarin said he gets a daily temperature check and regular blood work done. There's also a stationary bike inside his room for exercise. He also has Wi-Fi and a bathroom. He said he has a window, but he keeps it closed because "there are people outside, so I don't need them looking in my room."Michael Wadman, the medical director of National Quarantine Unit, told reporters that there is no intermingling between passengers and no visitors, aside from medical staff.   Rosmarin described his room as "much more spacious than the ship.""We don't really have much going on during the day...For the most part, we just get to kind of, you know, relax and be comfortable in here," he added.  Rosmarin indicated, though, that he hasn't been given regular updates from the outside world as to the status of his fellow passengers. "I'm not really sure of anything that goes on outside of this room," he said.   "It was a really scary time"Rosmarin said the trip was "unbelievable" until the final 24 to 48 hours before they were initially slated to disembark. That is when the Hondius passengers learned there had been a confirmed case of hantavirus, he said. "Everything just went downhill," Rosmarin explained. "...It was that week following before we could get off the ship and repatriated by the United States, that was a really scary time, specifically for me," he said.Rosmarin said it was frightening that no government wanted the ship to disembark at their ports due to the virus. Spain finally agreed to dock the ship in the Canary Islands. There were nearly 150 people from 15 countries aboard the ship when the evacuations began Sunday. The evacuees were placed on repatriation flights to their respective countries, with the U.S. passengers arriving in Omaha, Nebraska, on Monday. A skeleton crew remained behind to sail the Dutch-flagged Hondius to Holland.   Once-in-a-lifetime tripRosmarin described the trip as an expedition journey, and said the passengers weren't on a typical cruise. Because it was a smaller group, all the passengers knew each other. He said some of their destinations included South Georgia Island, where they saw the largest king penguin colony in the world, and Tristan da Cunha. "We got to swim in the middle of the ocean, not far from the equator, where the ocean was over 15,000 feet deep," he said. "Overall, I mean it was a really, really unbelievable experience." 
Read Next Story

Related Stories

Latest News
New York doctor who survived Ebola says he fears for healthcare workers
2 seconds ago

New York doctor who survived Ebola says he fears for healthcare workers

Controversial FDA official leaving drug center post in latest departure at agency

WHO says Ebola risks high for region, but not a 'pandemic emergency'

Kenyan court blocks opening of U.S. Ebola quarantine center on air base

WHO massively scales back number of suspected Ebola cases in Congo