EDITORIAL From tragedy, 2 more instances of communities rally to help
‘Tis the season. It’s the season of thanks, and of giving back, and for looking out for our family, neighbors and friends. And it’s the time of extending a helping hand to those in need. As we were reminded in two different instances this weekend, nobody does that better than the people of Delaware County.
First we visited the Collins family of Upper Providence.
Just a few days after sitting down in their home for Thanksgiving dinner, the Collins family lost just about everything but the clothes on their backs when fire roared through their home on Hunt Club Lane.
Thankfully, there were no injuries.
It did not take long for their friends and neighbors to respond. The flames that devoured the Collins’ home had barely been extinguished when Jennifer Matsinger posted messages on the Upper Providence Township, Media Elementary School and Penncrest High School Facebook pages.
By 7 o’clock Tuesday, half of her living room was filled with donations.
When James Collins first returned to his home of 17 years to meet with an insurance adjuster Tuesday, he was met with a carload of food, clothing and other donations, including cash and gift cards that Matsinger and her husband had collected.
Rihanna Collins, 11, received support from her fellow Rose Tree Colts cheeleading squad members.
The best friend of Jay’len Collins, 17, set up a GoFundMe page for the family. It quickly exceeded the $2,000 goal.
The Rocky Run YMCA provided an entertainment package to help distract the Collins’ younger children.
Ironically, the Collins family had gathered to celebrate the birthday of a granddaughter when the fire broke out. They fled the house without shoes or coats.
While firefighters battled the flames, the Collins family and their relatives were welcomed into the home of a neighbor to get out of the cold.
James Collins could do little but stand outside and watch his home burn down.
A few miles away in Upper Chichester, a similarly heartwarming tale was playing out this weekend.
Again, it showed the innate goodness of people, clearly evident in the face of adversity.
Tiffany Lane had been through a tough stretch. Her home burned down. She lost her mom. She was out of money and about to be turned out of the motel where she and her three children were living.
That’s when she reached out to a friend and former co-worker, Chris Malone. Malone took it from there. He organized a group of people to repair the Lanes’ house.
Malone explained what happened next.
“Here I am sitting in my warm house in Newtown Square, thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, here’s a family that could become homeless and if I have the opportunity to prevent that, how can I not?’”
First Malone made sure Lane and her kids had a place to stay. Then he rolled up his sleeves and went to work. He enlisted friends from as far away as Mexico and Switzerland.
He visited Lane’s damaged home on Carlton Avenue, which had sustained heavy damage during the fire. Then he started making calls to local businesses and community organizations. This weekend Malone and others gathered at the damaged house to push forward with the repair process. They’re hoping to have it ready for the family to move back in by Christmas.
Tiffany Malone, much like the Collins family, knows the value of friends – and community. She once worked on just such projects at her job at Aramark.
Now she was on the receiving end.
“It’s very humbling and it makes me feel incredibly blessed,” she said of the outpouring of support from the community.
“He saved my life,” she said of her former co-worker Malone. “I don’t think he realized that because I actually started thinking it might be better if I’m not here. That’s the path that I was going to and that phone call changed everything.” Two families. Two tragedies. Two more instances of Delaware County residents opening their hearts – and wallets – in a time of need.
‘Tis the season, indeed.