Community rallies to support couple displaced by fire

TICONDEROGA | Early Monday, Dec. 30, tragedy struck when the Park Avenue home of residents Kody and Kayla Whitford unexpectedly caught fire while the couple was out of town for the holidays. In addition to all of their personal belongings (clothing, collectibles, furniture, and memories), the family also lost their beloved three cats, Cheeto, Nigel, and Turkey. In the wake of this nightmare, the community is rallying to support the Whitfords and help them in the long process of rebuilding a life. On Friday, Jan. 17, the Knights of Columbus will host a Chicken BBQ fundraiser at their 103 Montcalm St. location to help alleviate the financial strain the family now faces. "The Whitfords (Jim and Katie, along with their children) have been great friends of mine and my husband for many years," said Jami Dedrick, event organizer. "To see these people go through something so unfortunate and devastating is heartbreaking. We had to do something to try and lessen the pain. With the family having very little, to any, insurance money, I knew this was going to be a time where Ticonderoga (and surrounding communities) do what they do best- come together for each other." Doors will open at noon on the 17th for the basket raffle, with eat-in and take-out kicking off at 5 p.m., as well as the cash bar. From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., there will be live music featuring the local band Hodgepodge. To reserve tickets, please call the K of C at 518-585-6520. There is a $20 donation per ticket. For those who can't make the BBQ but would like to contribute, the following evening on Saturday, Jan. 18 Ledge Hill Brewery will host the Chrissie Romano Band, with musicians Ken and Chrissie contributing their pay to the Whitfords and Ledge Hill will be donating ten percent of the evening's beer sales as well. There will also be a donation box out. "I'm personally humbled by the generosity that people show when tragedy strikes- it is times like these that a sense of human decency restores faith in humanity," Dedrick noted. "My father-in-law, Bob Dedrick, many years ago, came up with the slogan, "It's a great day to be a Sentinel." He hit the nail on the head with that, it truly is a great day every day to be a sentinel." A GoFundMe has also been organized by Chandler Whitford and may be accessed at https://gofund.me/fa7e84c1.

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Community rallies to support couple displaced by fire

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