Bluffs firefighters help family get cooking again
By MARIANNE KLINGEL
Article published on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007  |
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| Photo courtesy of MACHO LIBERTI |
| Bluffs firefighters Macho Liberti, left, and Daniel Waters, far right, visit with fire victims Wendy, 18-month-old David, and Richard Wilson after presenting them with cookware. |
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BELLEAIR BLUFFS – For the Wilson family, October 2007 will be remembered as the best and the worst of times.
On Oct. 9, their home on Lakeview Road in Clearwater caught on fire and suffered extensive heat, smoke, and water damage.
Richard and Wendy Wilson, and their 18-month-old son, David, were rendered immediately homeless and bereft of their possessions save for the few family photos they retrieved. Temporarily living with friends, family, and in a local hotel, the Wilsons face months of uncertainty as they struggle to repair their home and replace their possessions.
But in addition to the emotional trauma, the fire brought the Wilson family unexpected blessings in the form of kindness from friends, neighbors, and others who heard of the incident. One heartwarming donation came from the Belleair Bluffs Fire Department, who did not respond to the fire, but were very familiar with it because the Wilsons’ house was located next to the firefighters’ union hall. Mutual friend Leona Hamrick shared details of the Wilson family’s predicament with firefighters Macho Liberti and Daniel Waters, who were already involved in a project to help families impacted by fires.
For six months, the 12 firefighters from Belleair Bluffs Station 43 had been participating in a promotion at the Albertsons on West Bay Drive. Each day when they shopped for fire station meals, they collected stamps to be redeemed for non-stick cookware sets. For each $10 spent, one stamp was pasted on the sheet, and several sheets later, a cookware set was earned. The firefighters thought that families who lost their homes might very well need new pots and pans to cook with – and they were right.
When, the firefighters learned of the Wilsons situation, they knew they had found their first family to donate to. They called and told the family they had a little something for them and delivered the new cookware to them personally.
“The Wilsons were a fantastic family, very warm and appreciative, just great people. It made us feel really good to help them,” said firefighter Macho Liberti.
Richard and Wendy Wilson were touched by the donation.
“The Belleair Bluffs firefighters were so nice, we really couldn’t thank them enough,” Richard said.
In an amazing coincidence, the cookware set donated by the firefighters was the very same set they had lost in the fire. The Wilsons too, had participated in the promotion, saving stamps and even collecting them from friends and neighbors, until they had enough to redeem for the cookware set six months ago.
“We couldn’t believe it when we saw what they brought us,” Richard said. “It was like a little bit of our life being given back to us.”
Liberti said the donation was a great opportunity for the firefighters to get to know the residents of their community. “It’s very satisfying to make a difference and help people.”
Even with all their current challenges, Richard and Wendy Wilson feel positive, especially in light of people’s goodness toward them. In addition to their families and friends, they would also like to thank the Clearwater police and fire departments, who were incredibly professional and compassionate during their response to the fire, and the Washburn Academy in Dunedin, whose employees donated many needed items, living expenses, and time to help the family.
As for the Belleair Bluffs firefighters, they are already hard at work on their next community project, collecting the Albertsons stamps redeemable for glassware sets to be given to those families who need a little help in months to come.
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Article published on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007
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