Caitlyn May
For The New Era
Foster Elementary teaching assistant Jamey Fredricks never thought she would find a community like the one she left behind in Nebraska four years ago.
However, since losing her home to a fire on May 10, Fredricks says she has seen just how charitable Sweet Home can be.
Fredricks’ home, at 1860 Tamarack St., caught fire late in the afternoon of May 10, she and fire officials said. The blaze, which firefighters said they believed was started by a space heater in the rear of the house, destroyed “50 to 60 percent” of the structure particularly in the rear, Fredricks said.
“Unfortunately, I’m renting the house and the owners don’t have insurance,” she said. Her three sons and she say they were simply glad to escape unharmed.
“The parts not destroyed by fire suffered water and smoke damage. We basically lost 80 percent of what we had. RJ and Kyle, they lost everything they had,” Fredricks explained, noting that the fire had started near her son’s room.
While all four family members escaped safely, they were left with a mess of charred rubble to clean up and belongings to replace. Thankfully, Fredricks says, both sons RJ and Kyle are members of the high school’s music program.
“Because they’re both in band and choir, (Band Director) Pat Johnson really felt keenly, the loss for his students and really stepped up to help,” she said. “Mr. Johnson helped with that and he has kind of spearheaded the effort for my children and I.”
She said Johnson told the jazz band, which practices early in the morning, about the situation. Instead of practicing, band members called their parents and had them go through their closets to see if there was anything the Fredrick boys could wear.
“Because of these jazz band students, the word went out right away,” she said.
Word of the Fredricks’ need spread and by the next afternoon, the high school’s band room had become Donation Central, with several members of the community bringing clothes, blankets and other necessities. A Facebook page was also set up to aid Fredricks and her boys, while Johnson and the members of the band went one step further.
“On Friday morning (Johnson) told the band kids that they’re going to need help sifting through the debris and cleaning it out,” Fredricks said.
“We had probably a dozen band and choir kids after school, helping us go through everything. They were using rakes and shovels, pulling out pictures that weren’t completely damaged. It was amazing some of the things they were able to come up with. These kids went though so carefully to see if there was anything they could salvage. It was wonderful.”
In the weeks since the devastating fire, Fredricks says the family has been receiving phone calls and messages offering everything from silverware to a place to stay.
“We’ve had people call and say that they were going to have a garage sale but that we could come and take whatever we wanted, instead,” she shared.
As for the boys, Fredricks says they’re taking the unforeseen events well. While none of the three boys were injured during the fire, Kyle did sustain a minor injury during the clean-up.
“One of his friends brought a skateboard over and for one last time, he was going to skateboard in front of the house and he fell and got a hairline fracture,” she said.
The house, owned by family members, will take some time to repair. However, the Fredricks have been given another rental opportunity here in town, thanks to the kindness of a fellow resident, she said.
Of the overall support her family has found in the community, Fredricks said: “Coming here, and making the friends we have made and getting to know the people, it has been better than I thought it would be and when this happened to us, the response that we have had and the outpouring of help and friendship has actually shocked me because I thought when we left Nebraska, we wouldn’t have that again. It has been a blessing.”
Anyone wishing to aid the Fredricks family can donate to the cause’s Facebook page or visit Well’s Fargo Bank, where the Fredricks Family Donation account has been established.