Three weeks ago, senior social work major Stephanie Cruz, was notified by campus police that her home in Celeste, about 30 miles away, had caught fire. She arrived to find the house she owned a total loss, decimated by an electrical fire that is believed to have originated from one of the sockets in the children’s room.
“I think I was in shock,” Cruz said. “One of the first things I thought was thank God we weren’t home, because I probably wouldn’t still have my children.”
Cruz is the mother of four children ranging from a two-year-old to an eight-year-old. She, along with her husband and children, stayed temporarily in Family Housing at Texas A&M University-Commerce until last Friday when they were able to move into a rent house in Celeste. Although the family could not recover any items from the house, the fire did not destroy their positive outlook and all-around upbeat attitude.
“Every time we have something that sets us back we always come out better than before. In the future, someday, we are going to come out of this just fine and we are going to be better off than before the fire,” Cruz said.
Cruz sees her children as a reason not to fall apart through all of this. Although her two older children are taking the move as more of an adventure, it has been difficult to explain the situation to the youngest.
The family is extremely grateful for the help they received, which has helped ease the transition.
“First of all, A&M-Commerce has been awesome by putting us up in Family Housing. I received a lot of donations from students and faculty,” Cruz said. “I do want to make a special thanks to Lisa Rhoades at the Children’s Learning Center, to Wolfe City Church, and all the firemen involved who risked their lives to try and save my house.”
Cruz also feels grateful for the social work class of 2009 that came together and started making phone calls to find out what resources were out there. Jennifer Lee, senior social work major and the minister’s wife of Wolfe City Methodist Church, drove Cruz home and spent the whole day figuring out what the family was going to do.
“I am amazed at the generosity of people. I’m from California, and out here people mean it when they want to help. It’s like the churches around here have been waiting at the starting line wanting to help,” Cruz said.
The family has been recovering from the last few chaotic weeks and is beginning to stabilize in their current residence.
“The kids are finally going to have a place to call home. My family is alive, and that’s what is most important,” Cruz said.
The Greenville Fire Department warns homeowners to call if they see sparks coming from a wall socket, which indicates a possible fire in the wall. The best thing to do if a plug is not working is call an electrician, because they are professionals.
“Don’t forget to change the batteries in your smoke detectors because those things really save lives,” Dan Ehrhart, battalion chief for Greenville Fire Department, said.