Our community has suffered greatly in recent days, and the outpouring of generosity has been beautiful to witness. I am so grateful to be part of this community as I know that we will, again, stand together to rally around a family in need of love, support and encouragement.
On Thursday, July 2nd, Robert and Ashley Coreno were moving into their new home on Cleary Road in Fairfax with Chris (15), Lily (10), and Ari (6). Robert lost his life while saving his daughter in the river.
That evening I was fortunate to meet these children and have been spending a great deal of time with them since this happened. It is with Ashley’s reluctant permission that I share this information. I urged her to do so because I know people are concerned about the children and that this community wants to help.
Ashley and Robert had a large, blended family and had devised a bit of an unconventional plan to have Robert and the three youngest children live in Fairfax while Ashley and the oldest were living in another location close by. The plan was for Ashley to divide time between both households and be mom to all the kids across both settings.
Currently, Ashley is working to create a new plan for the family. She no longer has her husband to partner with around caring for the kids when she is not there. She is working hard to adjust and make plans for their future. Financial constraints are significant barrier to her planning and her options are limited. Any contribution could lighten the load while she tries to figure out next steps. She would like to be able to maintain the current living situation, even temporarily, to allow for a thoughtful plan around living arrangements going forward. She needs to repair her vehicle to allow her to keep it running and to meet the needs of all the children. Without Robert’s income, these basic living expenses are giant barriers to helping this family navigate this extremely delicate situation.
In the short time I’ve known Ashley and the children, I am struck by their extraordinary connection to one another. I have children of my own and have been around a lot of kids in my life – these are not typical kids! They are incredibly sweet and kind. They offer to cook with me, and they offer to set the table. They ask to say grace and hold hands before we eat. They are kind to one another and look out for each other. They giggle and smile and are playful and loving. They have a light in their eyes and I hope we can help them keep it.
They have experienced a tremendous loss, and they have not yet started to process witnessing their father’s death. Anything that can be done to lighten the load and help create options for this family will make the difference between this being one horrific tragedy or a series of hardships that this family must endure.