Family home lost to house fire
Donation protected
A fire gutted the house of my little sister, Sarah Strong and her longterm boyfriend, Brian Brockway both of Crossville, TN on May 16, 2017. Sarah was at work, Brian was cutting the grass, and the kids Donnie Strong (11-1/2), Elyjah Brockway (13), and Abby Strong-Brockway (1-1/2) were inside watching TV when an electrical fire broke out on the 2nd floor.
Luckily, the boys scooped up their little baby sister and got out just in the nick of time before the whole house went up in flames! It happened so fast that even Brian was unable to run in and grab anything. I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if the boys wouldn't have reacted when and how they did (what little heroes)!
Most importantly, no one was hurt and they will all be fine. That is what truly matters in the end; no loss of life! Unfortunately, what the fire didn't destroy, the fire hoses did and they did not have renter's insurance at the time. The outreach from friends, family, and even perfect strangers has been tremendous and amazing with the amount of clothing that has been donated to them.
However, they still have a long way to go to get back on their feet. They will now need to purchase necessities such as mattresses and bedding, furniture, cooking essentials, replace Brian's tools so he can get back to work, and all of the other basics that most of us take for granted until they are gone. There will also be rental applications, deposits, and first and last months rent which all adds up when you have nothing.

Can you imagine raising 3 kids without a home and they have lost all of their toys? Donnie takes piano lessons, plays percussion, and is a soccer goalie. He lost the piano he got for Christmas, his new drum equipment, and his soccer gear in the fire. Him and Elyjah of course are “gamers” and they lost their game systems and games. Abby is a little girl with a big personality who wants to be part of whatever her brothers are doing. I am sure her teddy bears, dolls, and blankies though are greatly missed.
Again, thank you to each and every one of you that have reached out to my family and assisted in anyway at this time of hardship and great need. If you can donate even $1, please do, because it all adds up and will make a gigantic difference to these kids’ quality of life. If you cannot donate or already have, please share in hopes that it reaches more people who can make a difference. I believe in "paying it forward" and one good deed deserves another. The family is going to be re-donating all extra clothing to local charities and giving back to the community once they get back on their feet.
My sister Sarah has long been active in helping less fortunate and at-risk children attend local firework shows and parades, taken them on camping trips, mentored them and assisted them with their homework, and even thrown them birthday parties out of her own pocket. She has been part of a Neighborhood Watch and Activities Commitee, was VP of the PTA for 2 years, and worked on the FEMA disaster crew after the ice storm.
Donnie is the Publicity Comptroller for the Cumberland County 4-H Honors Club and he and Elyjah are attending the Business Incubator's Make Camp at Roane State in June to learn all about 3-D printing, laser cutters, woodworking, Shopbot tools, and other technology.
Please help her and her children so she can further help others.
Thank you,
Drake Strong and the Strong and Brockway Families.
Luckily, the boys scooped up their little baby sister and got out just in the nick of time before the whole house went up in flames! It happened so fast that even Brian was unable to run in and grab anything. I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if the boys wouldn't have reacted when and how they did (what little heroes)!
Most importantly, no one was hurt and they will all be fine. That is what truly matters in the end; no loss of life! Unfortunately, what the fire didn't destroy, the fire hoses did and they did not have renter's insurance at the time. The outreach from friends, family, and even perfect strangers has been tremendous and amazing with the amount of clothing that has been donated to them.
However, they still have a long way to go to get back on their feet. They will now need to purchase necessities such as mattresses and bedding, furniture, cooking essentials, replace Brian's tools so he can get back to work, and all of the other basics that most of us take for granted until they are gone. There will also be rental applications, deposits, and first and last months rent which all adds up when you have nothing.

Can you imagine raising 3 kids without a home and they have lost all of their toys? Donnie takes piano lessons, plays percussion, and is a soccer goalie. He lost the piano he got for Christmas, his new drum equipment, and his soccer gear in the fire. Him and Elyjah of course are “gamers” and they lost their game systems and games. Abby is a little girl with a big personality who wants to be part of whatever her brothers are doing. I am sure her teddy bears, dolls, and blankies though are greatly missed.
Again, thank you to each and every one of you that have reached out to my family and assisted in anyway at this time of hardship and great need. If you can donate even $1, please do, because it all adds up and will make a gigantic difference to these kids’ quality of life. If you cannot donate or already have, please share in hopes that it reaches more people who can make a difference. I believe in "paying it forward" and one good deed deserves another. The family is going to be re-donating all extra clothing to local charities and giving back to the community once they get back on their feet.
My sister Sarah has long been active in helping less fortunate and at-risk children attend local firework shows and parades, taken them on camping trips, mentored them and assisted them with their homework, and even thrown them birthday parties out of her own pocket. She has been part of a Neighborhood Watch and Activities Commitee, was VP of the PTA for 2 years, and worked on the FEMA disaster crew after the ice storm.
Donnie is the Publicity Comptroller for the Cumberland County 4-H Honors Club and he and Elyjah are attending the Business Incubator's Make Camp at Roane State in June to learn all about 3-D printing, laser cutters, woodworking, Shopbot tools, and other technology.
Please help her and her children so she can further help others.
Thank you,
Drake Strong and the Strong and Brockway Families.
Organizer and beneficiary
Drake Strong
Organizer
Crossville, TN
Sarah Strong
Beneficiary
