Community rallies for victims of fatal house fire
After fire claims lives of two boys, fund drive surpasses initial goal; more events planned
Tragedy, in many instances, has a way of bringing out the strength of a community.
Nothing could be more true when it comes to the Schwenksville community. In the aftermath of a devastating fire that took the lives of two young boys and left their parents and sister in its wake, the Schwenksville community has stepped up to the plate to show the Lukens family its unwavering support and compassion in their time of need.
Bryan Lukens, a Montgomery County sheriff’s deputy; his wife, Tracy; and daughter, Soffia, made it out of the blaze that erupted in their Schwenksville home early Wednesday morning. The fire took the lives of the Lukenses’ two sons, 11-year-old Bryan Jr. and 6-year-old Parker.
Following the incident, Perkiomen Valley School District, where the Lukens children attend school, informed the school community that counselors will be available throughout the week to assist children in dealing with the loss.
“As the situation unfolded this morning, Schwenksville’s faculty and staff came together to provide support and assistance for any students who came in with knowledge of the fire,” read a communication Wednesday from Barbara A. Russell, Perkiomen Valley School District superintendant. “That support continued to build over the course of the day as we learned more details. I would like to assure you that the support of counselors, teachers and other professionals will continue in the days ahead as our community processes this news.”
The community stepped in immediately and created a GoFundMe for the family. The page, which had originally set a goal of $10,000, surpassed it in a matter of hours.
“Our initial goal, was $10,000 and we quickly surpassed that. We raised the target again which was attained as well. I’m forced to enter a goal amount, but at this point we are not going to put a cap on a goal and we’ll see where we end up to help support this family who has given so much of themselves to their community and their country,” read one of the updates from the page.
The goal has now been changed to $250,000, having achieved more than $180,000 in 24 hours. The page was shared 19,000 times by members of the community, family friends and coworkers in Montgomery County who know Bryan Lukens well.
But the community hasn’t stopped there.
Schwenksville resident Jim Lannigan is among some of the community members who felt they needed to do something to help. Lannigan, according to his Facebook post, has teamed up with several others to set up gift-card drives at Kiddie Academy, Kinder Works, and The Goddard School. The locations will serve as drop off areas for those looking to donate to the Lukenses. A drive will also take place Thursday, Dec. 14, and Friday, Dec. 15, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Schwenksville Fire Hall. In addition, Lannigan says he is working on establishing a TD bank account to make access to money easier for the family.
Area organizations are also lending their time and effort to assist the Lukenses. The Central Perkiomen Youth Association will hold a pancake breakfast with Santa from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Dec. 16 at Applebee’s in Royersford. All the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Lukens family. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for kids 5 and under.
Officials have not yet released a cause or origin of the fire. The investigation is ongoing.