Madison Heights FIRE

Lee, Reagan & Zoey — The Heart of This Story

Zoey — Age 12 The Jenkins Family Reagan — Age 9

I’m Katie, Lee’s girlfriend, and I’m organizing this fundraiser with his permission after a storm-related electrical fire destroyed the garage in Madison Heights.

This was far more than a garage.

Because of a recent carpet installation inside the house, all of Lee’s and the girls’ personal belongings had been moved into the garage. In a very real sense, their family life was sitting there in storage.

It was also Lee’s space — a place where he kept the tools he had accumulated over years, family keepsakes, a large TV, and where he and his daughters spent time together. The girls had an aerial swing there, toys they played with, bikes and ride-on toys, and so many of the everyday things connected to their life with Dad.

Reagan and Zoey are with their dad every weekend and significantly more during the summer. Dad’s home is not simply somewhere they visit. It is a major part of their childhood and truly feels like home to them too.

In one night, all of those belongings — and so many physical pieces of their life together — were gone.

Reagan lost her bike, Power Wheels, scooter, toys and other belongings. Zoey lost her favorite bow and arrow and began trying to make a list of everything else they had lost because there was simply too much to remember and process at once.

But some losses cannot be replaced at any price.

Lee lost his father’s ashes.

He also lost the very first picture Zoey ever drew for her dad.

As Reagan and Zoey tried to understand what had happened, they said something we will never forget:

“Our entire childhood with Dad was burned away.”

Those words capture why this loss is so much bigger than a garage.

To the girls, these weren’t just things. They were years of weekends with Dad, summers together, toys they grew up with, keepsakes, familiar routines, and the little pieces of childhood that made Dad’s place feel like their home.

Lee has always worked for what he has. He spent approximately 18 years with the same employer and is currently receiving unemployment benefits, making a sudden loss of this size especially difficult to absorb.

When FOX 2 Problem Solvers came to see the devastation and suggested creating a fundraiser, Lee initially said no.

Asking people for money is deeply uncomfortable for him. He has always believed in working for what he needs and handling his own responsibilities. Creating a GoFundMe felt completely outside of who he is.

What finally changed his mind was realizing how much his daughters had lost too.

So he agreed to let me ask for help.

The home belongs to Lee’s sister, and the homeowners insurance policy is hers. Lee is not the homeowner or policyholder. Coverage for Lee’s and the girls’ personal belongings has not been confirmed, and there is a real possibility that much of their personal property will not be covered.

Our initial $20,000 recovery goal is for Lee and the girls’ personal recovery — not rebuilding his sister’s house. Donations will help replace essential clothing and belongings, begin rebuilding Lee’s collection of tools, replace what can be replaced for Reagan and Zoey, and help with immediate displacement and recovery expenses.

We cannot replace Lee’s father’s ashes.

We cannot recreate Zoey’s first drawing for her dad.

And we cannot give Reagan and Zoey every piece of the childhood that disappeared that night.

But we can help this dad and his girls rebuild what comes next — and begin making Dad’s place feel like home again.

If you are able to donate, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

If you cannot donate, please share their story. One share may reach exactly the person, family, business or community member who can help. ❤️