KAREN Ramirez helped plenty of Dubbo children and families during her life, so now it is time for the local community to get in and help her children in their greatest time of need.
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Ms Ramirez, 49, was tragically killed in a single-vehicle accident near the Hunter Valley village of Sandy Hollow last Friday.
She leaves behind seven children - Melissa Stevens (30), Katrina Bulmer (26), Mitchell Bulmer (24), twins Isabella and Gabriella Ramirez (15), Jarrod Ramirez (12) and Anastacia Smith (5).
As well as her family she also has a myriad of friends and former foster children mourning their loss.
At the time of the crash Ms Ramirez was travelling to Newcastle for a weekend away with the four youngest children, each of whom escaped serious injury.
In a touching tribute on social media, one of Ms Ramirez's twin daughters posted "you were such a beautiful mum who always looked out for anyone, cared for everyone, cherished everything and put everyone before yourself".
That mentality of looking after other people's issues without burdening others with her own is why her family now needs Dubbo's support.
Family friend Brentley Goodwin started a GoFundMe page on Tuesday, which at the time of going to press had seen $12,310 pledged.
"We thought we'd be doing well if we could raise $2500 and by the end of the first day we were over $10,000," Mr Goodwin said.
"My mum actually had the idea. She was asking what we could do to help so I set it up and then the people took over and turned it into something we couldn't have imagined."
The bulk of the money raised in the fundraiser will go towards helping the family get their Wheelers Lane home habitable again.
"Mum and the kids hadn't been living at home because part of it had sunk and the insurance wouldn't cover it," Ms Ramirez's daughter Katrina Bulmer said.
"You were such a beautiful mum who always looked out for anyone, cared for everyone, cherished everything and put everyone before yourself".
"My brother Mitchell had put his life on hold to try and get it back to a point where it could be lived in again, and the kids were staying with different family members across Dubbo.
"That's how she was. She didn't make a fuss over it, and didn't want a fuss made, but now that she is gone we'd love to be able to get it sorted as quickly as possible so the younger kids can get back to some kind or normality.
"We've already had a lot of people make pledges, we're really overwhelmed by what has happened since the accident.
"There have been tradespeople come forward and offer to help with the work, obviously there's been money donated, and we've got that much food that we'll never be able to eat it all. It's really obvious the effect Mum had on so many people and we'll never be able to properly thank everyone."
It goes without saying that life will never be the same for the family, which as well as the seven kids also features her parents Rhonda and Garry, and siblings Stephen, Lisa, Shaun and Jeffrey.
Ms Ramirez's death has also affected the vast number of foster children she took in to her home, and the children she cared for at Goodstart Early Learning Centre, their families and her work colleagues.
For that reason her funeral, which will be held at St Brigid's Catholic Church at 12.30pm next Friday, April 1 is expected to attract a large attendance.
Anyone wishing to help with the fundraising for Ms Ramirez's family can do so by visiting www.gofundme.com/55v2352c while tradespeople who can help are asked to contact her brother Shaun on 0417 432 977.
