Fatal house fire that took everything.

Hi, my name is Serena Klink. I teach Life Skills Support at Conneaut Lake Elementary. I am raising funds for the Chase family. I was fortunate enough to teach their son and daughter a few years ago and I grew close with the family. Both children have cerebral palsy along with other needs.

Last night, their house caught on fire and although the many fire fighters did everything they could, it was a complete loss. Luckily the children were not home, unfortunately their grandma was and she did not make it out of the house.

This type of thing is unbearable for anyone, but especially when you have two children with special needs. I went to their house as soon as I heard it was happening and I sat in a truck with the kids for 4 hours as they watched and tried to comprehend. The daughter was very close with her grandma and when they were finally able to leave the scene around 1:30 am to go find a hotel and try to rest, she just couldn’t understand why they were leaving without her grandma and her dog.

This family has struggled their whole life but through it all, they have always loved each other and tried to remain positive.

They need a place to live and basic necessities. On top of that, they will need to pay for funeral services for their grandma. And the kids still believe in the magic of Christmas and that somehow Santa will find them. I am asking each of you to donate what you can to help keep the Christmas spirit alive for these sweet children and to ease this tremendous burden just a little for their parents.