Community comes together for fire victims

LYNN – With two major fires in four days destroying homes just blocks away from one another, several area families now find themselves displaced across the North Shore, from Route 1 motels to aging inns in Salem.While the tragedy of the cold-weather blazes has been felt at every corner of the city, nowhere is the loss more apparent than the neighborhood schools, where the desks of now homeless children remain empty as their families try to put back the pieces.One of those families is that of Glenny Cuevas, a former resident of 129R Lewis St., who is now left searching for housing for her five children and one grandchild who lived with her.Cuevas’ two youngest children attended the Brickett Elementary School, her son is a seventh grader at Marshall Middle School and another child is at English High School. Her oldest daughter, 18 and out of school, was raising her 2-year-old child at the house with her mother and siblings.Although it will be a long road ahead for Cuevas, who was too busy trying to get everything in order to be interviewed Thursday, and the other residents left homeless by the flames, faculty, parents and community members at those students’ schools are rallying together to bring a little joy and relief to those children.In the wake of the news Wednesday, the Marshall Middle School guidance department immediately started to solicit donations, posting an ad on craigslist.org requesting clothing, sleeping bags, winter coats, books and fun activities to try and keep the family’s spirits up.Councilor Donna Horgan said the response has been unbelievable from residents who have heard the news, and people are donating anything they can to help.The situation is similar at the Brickett Elementary School, located on Lewis Street almost directly in the center of the two fires.That school has a total of three students who have lost everything in the last week.Brickett Principal Debra Ruggiero said Thursday that dealing with fires that take place during the school hours is especially difficult, as staff must scramble to find out if any students are affected, and if their families are OK.”When both fires were happening I tried to contact the families, but we didn’t want the kids to know until we could talk to them,” she said. “Once we did that we helped to inform the kids and tried to get support in place for the families.”Along with the Red Cross, families are provided support from the Lynn Public Schools in the form of homeless family liaison Mary Ellen Connolly. Part of Connolly’s job is to help families find a place to stay and keep track of them once they are there.Still, the process can be hard for families. Horgan said Cuevas spent her day Thursday looking for housing, because the Route 1 motel that she is in will only provide shelter for a few days.”She has spent the day driving around looking for Section 8 housing,” said Horgan. “She doesn’t know what she is going to do if she doesn’t get it.”Although it is challenging to find housing, the schools are looking to help the families in any way, whether it is a warm sleeping bag or a few dollars to help them get back on their feet.Ruggiero said teachers and students are participating in dress down and hat days this week where they pay a dollar to wear casual clothing and hats in school, all proceeds going to the families in need.Other donations have come from community organizations like the Free Masons, who donated $400 in gift cards, and businesses like Wal-Mart, which has sent along bags upon bags of socks, underwear and clothing.”The response has been incredible at this school, and at other schools as well,” she said. “My office is full – everyone is really coming out to help because this is just so devastating. These are very difficult times, and difficult times anyway with the economy, so I am sure it is hard for these families to find something else. The community has really pulled together. It is incredible how when things like this happen people come together.”A