By Glenn Rolfe

LAUREL — From ashes and ruin has risen a chance for a brighter future.

Efforts continue to get a dozen families — more than 50 children and adults who lost essentially everything they own in a Jan. 27 apartment fire in Laurel — back on their feet via a massive crusade spurred by the Good Ole Boy Foundation and its vast network.

“One family would be hard. But … you are talking about a dozen families and like 50-some people, and then, you have some language barriers,” said GOBF co-founder K.C. Conaway. “But we have an awesome team. We’ve got several translators now on our team that are helping us daily, almost around the clock, with communication.

“This is definitely one of the most challenging things that we’ve ever taken on as the Good Ole Boys,” said Mr. Conaway. “But thankfully, we’ve got some really good organizations and folks that are in our corner. It’s just too big for just one organization to take on, and without everybody’s help, … the families that have reached out with donations have helped to keep the wind in the sail to keep us moving in the right direction. Our job is to make the transition as easy as we can.”

Last week’s blaze resulted in an estimated $1 million in damages, but there were no injuries, said the state fire marshal. The cause of the incident is still under investigation.

Six days after the three-alarm fire razed the multifamily complex — which earlier in its 100-plus-year history was the Rigbie Hotel — the top priority was replacement housing.

“The No. 1 goal right now is finding permanent placement for these families. Of course, most of them have kids attending the Laurel School District. Those families would like to be placed back in that area, so their kids can continue to attend the school. We have also been in conversation with the school district. Because of their programs they have in place, when kids are displaced like this, even if they move to Dover, they will, with a van, transport them to the (Laurel) schools,” said Mr. Conaway.

“These are some good programs that the school has to make sure these kids (can) still attend. Still, it would be preferred if we could find places in the southwest corner of the state.”

Those interested in providing housing information or donations can contact the nonprofit GOFB via its website and Facebook page.

If all goes well, at least one, maybe two and possibly three families could be placed in rentals by the end of this week.

GOBF member Kolby Dukes said an apartment has been found for one family; there were plans to meet with the landlord Wednesday and move them in Thursday.

“We’ve been working with the families. We’re doing our best to get these people back on their feet and set them up for success going forward,” said Mr. Dukes.

Mr. Conaway added, “What we have found the last couple days is we and all of our network have been looking for housing for these folks. But all these families are looking, as well. Most of these families don’t have any problems affording rent. It’s just finding a place for them. The pool of rentals is very thin right now.”

GOBF’s request is for any owners with rentals “willing and open to house some of these families that have been through a nightmare situation, if they are able to house them, then we would definitely entertain any options at this point,” said Mr. Conaway.

Of note, Mr. Dukes said, is one family with 11 members, and another with two native Guatemalans, a brother and sister ages 18 and 20, who are in Laurel alone.

“They have no family here. No aunts or uncles. Mom and Dad are in Guatemala. They’ve got the full community rallying around them,” he said.

All occupants of the fire escaped safely. Families have since been staying in hotels, provided by GOBF and its partners.

“Until we get these people placement, we don’t know how much it is going to cost us just to keep them in the hotels. Right now, if we were to continue, it’s like $8,000 to $9,000 a week to keep them in a hotel. It is a really big task for what we have right now,” said Mr. Conaway.

Several of the displaced individuals do not have children. Some work at the beaches, in construction, so they can be rehoused anywhere.

The mission of GOBF is to make sure the transition can take place. “We’re going to help with the security deposit, first month’s rent, and probably, there is going to be some more support following that, in kind of a metered way,” Mr. Conaway said.

Interpreters are assisting, as the majority of the families are Hispanic and several are Haitian.

“We’ve Creole-speaking folks on our team. We’ve got Spanish-speaking individuals on our team,” he said. “We’re covered in most areas that we need right now.”

Mr. Dukes emphasized the importance of the translators.

“We’ve got about three or four people that are translating with us because the Good Ole Boys are good, and they have big hearts, but we can’t speak Spanish. We can’t speak Creole,” he said. “We are fully reliant on these translators. They have just opened up their schedules and just said, ‘Here I am.’ It has been incredible. We are blessed to be able to help these people and try to show them some Sussex County love, even if they weren’t born and raised here. They are still part of our community.”

GOBF’s partners include the Laurel School District.

“Some of these teachers have been very helpful, even after hours, meeting with these families,” said Mr. Conaway, adding that staff accompanied displaced students returning to school. “So even though they were getting picked up in a strange way, a strange place under strange circumstances, they had a familiar face from the school.”

Outreach, support

Just hours after the fire alarms sounded in Laurel, there was a call for clothing and other essential items. And that request is ongoing.

Among other ways to help:

• Chick-fil-A in Seaford will donate a portion of its proceeds from 5-8 p.m. Feb. 9 to the affected families.
• The Kim & Evans Family Foundation has partnered with GOBF to host an online silent auction, which will begin Sunday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. and end on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. Email kimandevansff@gmail.com to arrange for pick up or drop auction donations off at TidalHealth Primary Care, Laurel, by Feb. 16. The foundation website address is:  www.facebook.com/kimandevansff.

In addition, as some displaced adults are employees at Mountaire, the company has "stepped up in a big way" by donating chickn. Mr. Conaway said.

And within Laurel’s Hispanic community, several individuals are making food for the families twice a day and laundering clothes.

The seemingly little things also have been addressed. For example, a box truck full of suitcases was provided by the community. And six families have been relocated from a hotel slated to undergo renovation to another establishment.

Mr. Conaway shared words from a GOBF connection, that “the dignity of putting your clothes in a trash bag is just demoralizing. So we’re like, ‘OK, let’s get suitcases for all these families.’ The pride that you have in at least putting your stuff in a suitcase, it’s amazing how much that helps.”

Plowing through challenge

The fire occurred the night before last weekend’s winter storm, which dumped as much as a foot of snow in the area.

“The difficult thing was, as soon as this happened, we have a snowstorm bearing down on us. There was just a herculean effort trying to get all the essential needs met because we weren’t sure if we were even going to be able to get to them, and the stores were going to be closed,” said Mr. Conaway. “It has been an around-the-clock effort since last Thursday evening. We went from getting them in shelter and getting them all their essential needs, and (then) a snowstorm. Now, we’ve finally been able to start making some traction.”

Once housing is secured, needs for such things as furniture and appliances will be accessed. That’s where Teen Challenge in Seaford and the Good Samaritan in Laurel are stepping in.

“We’ll start getting that information out on our page, if there are any specific needs. Right now, our goal is to get placement. Then, we have a little bit more room to place this stuff. Every rental is different. Some are furnished. Some are not,” said Mr. Conaway. “Whatever Teen Challenge and the Good Samaritan can’t help with, then we’ll make sure we get that word out to our Facebook group, so people can help with donations.”

Wanting only basics

GOBF co-founders Josh Wharton and Mr. Conaway recently took several displaced workers to Tractor Supply.

“They needed work clothes. They want to work. They needed work boots. Some of their tools were burned up in the fire,” said Mr. Conaway, adding that GOBF had to insist that the shoppers picked out more than one pair of pants or other items. “They are such humble people. They don’t want any more than what they need. They just want the bare minimum. They don’t want to be a burden.”

During a meeting with families at Walmart, Mr. Conaway said they encountered a Hispanic woman from Georgetown who, upon seeing the need on social media, connected with some of the displaced. Not only did she buy them clothes, “she helped me for over an hour speaking translation,” he said.

GOBF members are pleased with the outpouring of support.

“I think it is helping to mend some barriers maybe, when it comes to relationships with folks that are not like us. It is really bringing the community together,” Mr. Conaway said.

He added that GOBF’s dream is “to leave them in a better spot than what they were before this happened. We have made some good friends out of this, and I am sure we will continue to be in touch with these families for many years to come. We may not speak their language 100%, but we have made some good friends in the process.”

Mr. Dukes added that, in a way, the tragedy may be a blessing in disguise.

“God is using it to pull these people out, … and as a community, we’re able to lift them up, find them a new place and give them a broader sense of community than what they were used to,” he said.

“We would have never met these families otherwise.”