The Stephens Family

Hi, my name is Emily Hansen and I’m a good neighborhood friend of Mark & Randi Stephens.

The Stephens live next door to the Newmans/Schmuckers - who recently had their home broken into and burned down, here in Centerville. It has been such a huge, scary tragedy for our usually quiet neighborhood, and we just want to rally around these families that have been affected by this tragic event. (The Newman’s family has a Go Fund Me account set up on behalf on them, through a family member - https://www.gofundme.com/f/dk6ass-newman-family?qid=a9df6dbf2389ac5ff68cca31bb1961aa&fbclid=IwAR021WG20gx0wVSwFC7vdWLbzoWCJ-gmXa3fOX6WFILNnJG5LdzTyGGy-Yc)

Of course our hearts first go out to the Newman’s, who were assaulted, almost killed, and on top of that recovery, they lost their home completely to the fire.

We would also like to recognize the Stephens family’s damage to their home as well, and the anxiety and fear that comes with this kind of traumatic event.

The Stephens’ have actually been dealing with a flood that severely damaged the entire inside of their home a year ago, and have been actively working with their insurance on all of the repairs - even living in a hotel while waiting through this long and very uncomfortable process to be completed. (Along with their 2 sons who are both on the Autism Spectrum.) The Stephens were finally set to move back into their home Aug. 11th -- and then this devastating fire happened.

The Centerville firemen thankfully saved their home from actually catching on fire, but the fire was just so large and so hot that it significantly damaged the Stephens’ home also.

As the police are still in the middle of an active investigation, there hasn’t been a liability determination yet, so they cannot file a claim or get adjusters out to start repairs or at least cover up the damage, and their home is very much open to the elements right now. Hopefully that can happen very soon.

All of the siding has been melted off of most of their entire house, and also the roofing tiles on the roof are buckled and melted, so they’re no longer covering adequately to protect from rain. They are very worried about water coming in again and ruining their finally repaired home from the last flood. They will also incur expenses from more deductibles and now having to have 2 insurance claims open in a 5 year period, which raises their insurance costs significantly for the next 5 years, since they will be placed in a “higher risk” catergory.

To be clear, the Stephens’ aren’t the ones asking for money, and were initially uncomfortable with the idea of a Go Fund Me - but we would like to help them out, and give them an opportunity to feel the love that this community has for them too. Any funds raised will be saved and used for additional costs, deductibles, and expenses relating to the fire’s damage to the home.

The Stephens’ are also struggling with the horrible anxiety of not feeling safe anymore, and are pretty crushed, overwhelmed, and very, very discouraged with this additional trial on their plates. Any tiny bit of help monetarily, and/or even words of encouragement would be so greatly appreciated.

They want to also publicly thank the Centerville firemen for saving their home and so bravely risking their lives for strangers like they do every day.