Community Helps Votra Family Recover From Fire

by Alex Brooks
On the first weekend after the fire which burned his house to the ground, Jim Votra, with friends, family and helpers, was able to clear up the mess where his burned house was and fill in the cellar hole. There were many pickup trucks parked on the site last weekend belonging to the people who had come to help out. Jay Burdick ran an excavator donated by Rifenburg Construction, and by Monday the site was smooth and neat.
[private]Votra said the community has been very generous helping his family to recover from the fire. “Everybody has been wonderful,” he said.  In the first week Angie Burdick created a Facebook appeal which brought such a generous response the family needed a storage space to keep all  the clothing and baby equipment they received. Stephentown Self Storage donated two storage units for the family’s use.
Jim said he is planning to put a modular home with a full basement on the same site where his house was, but a little further back off the road. They had some insurance but apparently less than the cost of rebuilding. He said, “It’s a good start.” At present the family is staying with their in-laws across the road. He said it’s a bit crowded, but he feels thankful to have a place to stay. If they can get  the new house built quickly enough, they may just stay where they are until it’s ready. If not, they may rent a place until the new house is ready to move into.
Deacon Tom Nash of Our Lady of the Snow Parish has set up a fundraising account to accept cash donations to help the family and took up a collection in the Church on Sunday to get it started. Donations can be sent to the “Votra Fire Victims Fund” in care of the St. John Francis Regis Church at P.O. Box 234, Grafton, NY, 12082, or they can be dropped off at the Church at 31 Owen Road.
Petersburgh Town Supervisor Siegfried Krahforst called a meeting Monday evening to organize a committee to do fundraising to help the family, and about a dozen people showed up. Louise Harrison and Tammy Dunlop volunteered to lead the group. A spaghetti supper and Chinese can auction are planned for Friday evening, December 14, at the Petersburgh Veterans Memorial Hall from 5 to 9 pm. The committee is looking for donations for the auction and also for the dinner. If you can help, call Louise Harrison at 658-0868. Also, for take-out orders for the dinner, call Louise.
The committee is also planning a bake sale on Friday afternoon, December 21, at the Veterans Memorial Hall, from 2 pm until all the baked goods are gone.[/private]