From the Ashes: Community Builds Hope for Family of 10

A fire might have burned down the Reiling’s  home, but a community is building up their spirits while giving them a new foundation from which to work from.

Dozens of Levittown area residents showed up Tuesday night at the George Washington Elementary School to drop off donations, hugs, smiles, and the compassion of a locality for the family.

Men, woman, children, from all walks of life carried boxes, bags and the promise of a future for the family of ten who lost their home last week to a raging fire on Hawthorne Lane in Bristol Township.

Now staying at  a local hotel through the support of the American Red Cross the family’s tragedy has ignited the best of the area’s inner angels.

Angela Reiling, holding steady through the tragedy said the response by the area is “simply amazing” as she watched volunteers bring in toys, clothes, new dishes for what she hopes will go into her a new home in the coming days.

“We have some options, things local realtors have been helping with so we’re hoping we’ll have a place soon,” she said scanning the schools gymnasium as throngs of neighbors brought in donations.

The Reiling family – consisting of a mother, father with eight kids – was displaced after their home caught fire and was destroyed on the afternoon of January 3. Thankfully, no one was injured in the blaze.

Sandy Kitchen, treasurer for the schools PTO said its the least the we could do.  Two of the families 8 children attend the school, the Reiling’s said.

As the Reiling children clutched and hugged each other – watching  the machine like automation of volunteers working together.

The Detective Chris Jones Foundation (DCJF) drew from its emergency relief fund on Sunday to assist the Reiling family with $1,250 . The emergency funds were approved on Sunday, board members Suzanne Jones and Kellie Fronk delivered the check to the family.

Two online fund raising accounts have been set up to help the family recover. One on YouCaring.com has a goal of $5,000. Another, is on GoFundMe.

Angelique Magana, a close friend of the family’s, whose been helping to coordinate much of the donation effort through family says the family has all it could need and because of the generosity and compassion of  the Levittown area residents.

The challenge for the family will be what to do when their Red Cross supported stay ends at the local hotel they are housed in. since nothing has been finalized in terms of where they will live as the home burnt down by the fire gets rebuilt and the ones they have looked at are not ready yet, the family said.

The  Reiling’s would like to remain as close as possible to the township so the children attending school don’t also have to lose the important connections they have with friends, family and natural supports in the community, Magana said.

The family has a plan in place, Angela Reiling said. “We just need some time to work out the details and finalize things. We know nothing happens overnight.”

…except the response of a community

Publisher/Editor Tom Sofield contributed to this report