Family asks for donations of clothes, furniture, appliances after fire

By MARGIE TRAX PAGE - Staff Writer - mtrax@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

September 10, 2008 07:21 pm

— GENEVA — With little money for necessities, Susie Butcher walked around the Kmart store with her 5-year-old daughter, Rylee, in tow.
The Butchers had just lost their home to a house fire, and with no clothes, food or toiletries, there was a lot to buy on a very tight budget.
“I was walking around the store with my mind on the fire and the things I needed to buy, and then I saw Rylee,” Butcher said. “She was standing there crying, tears running down her face. It all hit her right there in the store: that her toys and clothes and everything (were) gone. We lost everything, and at 5 years old, she lost everything, too.”
The Butchers’ home on Eastwood Street caught fire Aug. 28 as Susie Butcher and her mother, Donna Page, sat in the dining room. Rylee was playing on the floor in the living room when neighbors banged on the front door.
“They said smoke was coming from the upstairs window. The smoke detectors never went off; we never smelled smoke. We ran from the house and watched the whole thing burn. Now, we have nothing but the clothes on our backs,” Butcher said.
The fire, which began in a light fixture in an upstairs room, destroyed the entire contents of the house, Butcher said. The damage was most pronounced in Rylee’s room, she said.
The family has homeowners’ insurance, but coverage is minimal and won’t cover much of their belongings. A Rite Aid in Geneva collects donations for the family, Butcher said.
After two weeks in a hotel, the insurance company rented the family a house while their home is being repaired. Butcher said when they move back into their home, they won’t have a stick of furniture or any appliances.
“We are in a place where we have to ask people to help us now,” Butcher said. “Everything we owned — from our new couch and chair to all our pictures and albums, to our clothes and Rylee’s toys — (is) gone.”
Susie Butcher is a size medium or large, Donna Page is a size extra-large, husband Curtis Butcher is a size medium, and Rylee is a 4-t or 5-t. The family needs clothes, toys, furniture, small and large appliances, sheets and blankets, kitchenware, cleaning supplies and other household items.
For more information or to arrange a donation, call Susie Butcher (440 361-0447).