After a devastating fire, support for displaced residents has poured in from the Bellefonte community and beyond, including what appears to be a major donation from an NBA player.
The residents of 720 W. Water St. in Spring Township watched their home go up in flames on Dec. 30 in a fire that destroyed their apartment building and severely damaged an adjacent building.
All seven residents escaped without injury but the three apartments that made up the home were completely destroyed. Crews were called around 6:40 p.m. on Dec. 30 and were able to get the fire under control by 9:30 p.m.
But just hours after the fire, residents Alex Struble and Tori Ann Suhy were surprised as physical and financial donations from the community started to roll in. Community members started bringing bags of clothing, shoes and other household items, leaving them for the residents in a neighbor’s garage.
Suhy said the donations show the love that the Bellefonte community has for each other as sees those who donated as family.
“It was just such a blessing to see how much support, how quickly we got that support and the overwhelming amount of thoughts, prayers, and donations that we got,” Suhy said. “We were just floored by the amount of support that we got from our community.”
Former Bellefonte resident Alicia Praskovich started a community Facebook page to post updates and gather support for the residents. Praskovich also started a GoFundMe for all the fire victims, including two children, which has raised $39,572 as of Wednesday.
One donation in particular stands out — $22,000 under the name Kyrie Irving, the famous Brooklyn Nets basketball player. The player has a history of donating identical amounts to various GoFundMe campaigns across the country.
Struble said he was “floored” by the amount raised by the GoFundMe and expected only around $1,000. He said the financial assistance will take a weight off the couple’s shoulders while they get back on their feet.
“It really was the community coming out to us first and already knowing that they were going to help us no matter what the situation was,” Struble said. “They started the healing process for us before we knew it and we are so thankful for that.”
A GoFundMe page was created to benefit resident Tashoi Evans, which has raised $2,595 of its $3,000 goal. Another GoFundMe was created for Pamela Shreffler, a neighbor whose house was also heavily damaged in the fire.
Denika Colpetzer, who lived at 720 W. Water St. with her boyfriend and two children, thanked the community for their generosity in a Facebook post. Colpetzer said a woman had come forward with a fully furnished home for them to live in while searching for another permanent residence.
“Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us or donated anything,” Colpetzer said in a text. “We appreciate all of you from the bottom of our hearts.”
For updates and additional information on what the residents need, go to the Bellefonte fire updates Facebook page. Clothing sizes, links to GoFundMe’s and information on drop-offs can all be found on the page.