Support for fire victims draws attention across country
SCHWENKSVILLE » When a community comes together to show kindness and support, it can have effects that spread far beyond the people inside it.
The support shown to the family of Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy Bryan Lukens after a devastating fire that destroyed their home and took the lives of two children has proven that to be true.
Following the blaze that took the lives of Bryan Jr. and Parker Lukens earlier this week, fundraising and support events for Deputy Lukens, his wife, Tracy, and their daughter, Soffia, have grown enormously. In just two days a GoFundMe account created by Schwenksville residents was shared by over 20,000 people and raised over $270,000 for a family that one of the page’s creators says he doesn’t even know personally.
“I don’t know the family, but I’m from northeast Philadelphia and I grew up with beef and beer, block parties and having your neighbors’ backs. I moved to Schwenksville and there’s been no disconnect. I got the same vibe in suburbia as I did in northeast Philadelphia. People need to be able to step up and do what’s right. Our kids need to see that,” said Jim Lannigan, one of the organizers of the GoFundMe page.
Lannigan and his family, along with local resident Chris Jones and his family, have not only helped facilitate an outpouring of support through the page, but have also taken several steps to make sure that the help doesn’t stop there.
“I was in TD Bank yesterday and Chris Jones and I went there to start another avenue for people to be able to donate monetary funds. Checks could be made out to the Lukens Family Fund,” explained Lannigan. “Now in Southeastern Pennsylvania, all TD Banks are drop off points for the Lukens family.”
Lannigan said they have handed over responsibility for the TD account to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department.
“I want to thank TD Bank, all of the first responders, community leaders and residents who have expressed their compassion and condolences,” said Sheriff Sean P. Kilkenny. “We have received an overwhelming outpouring of compassion and generosity on behalf of the Lukens family over the past few days.”
Members of the Montgomery Bar Association, attorneys Mike Rogers and Seth Wilson, have offered to provide free legal and insurance counseling for the Lukens, and a family foundation is also being planned, said Kilkenny in a release Friday.
Checks can be made payable to the “Lukens Family Fund” and mailed to: Lukens Family Fund, c/o Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, P.O. Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404.
Creating an account has made a huge impact. Lannigan said he received a call from the vice president of TD Bank, who told him that they were receiving an impressive number of donations.
“He said there’s an overwhelming number of donations coming in from across the country through TD Bank. Personally, I have gotten some calls from Florida, New York, Seattle, Washington and California. It’s really spread out,” said Lannigan.
In addition to TD Bank locations, gift cards and monetary donations can also be made at Kiddie Academy of Collegeville, 301 Warren Road, Collegeville, PA 19426, along with The Goddard School, 498 Township Line Road, Schwenksville, PA 19473,
“I want to thank TD Bank, all of the first responders, community leaders and residents who have expressed their compassion and condolences. We have received an overwhelming outpouring of compassion and generosity on behalf of the Lukens family over the past few days.” — Sheriff Sean P. Kilkenny
and Kinder Works, 36 W. Ridge Pike, Limerick, PA 19468.
The group of residents has also organized a drive for gift cards and monetary donations at Schwenksville Fire Hall. Their event took place last night between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. and raised $8,000 to $10,000 for the family, said Lannigan. They will be holding another event Friday at Schwenksville Fire Hall that will include food, music, a visit from Santa and a station for children to make cards.
Lannigan says their work isn’t quite done, but he has faith in people’s innate desire to do good in the world.
“I can’t even fathom on any day, let alone during the holidays, to learn not one but two of your kids have passed. I can’t even imagine. I’m at a loss of words,” said Lannigan. “There’s enough good people in this world that if you step up and do the right thing, they’ll want to be a part of it.”