Barrington residents regularly reach out to us with news about events or stories of interest happening in their neighborhoods. We were particularly moved when Barrington Village resident and mother-of-two, Jennifer Vakharia, recently called to let us in on her neighbor’s struggle to rebuild after their young family’s dream home was destroyed by fire last month.
I heard great emotion in Jennifer’s voice when she told me about the Zemaitis family’s incredible determination to rebuild after flames reduced their home to nothing but walls and ashes. Neighbors feel so compelled to help the family through this difficult time, they created a fund to raise just $500, hoping that every penny will help. And Jennifer put pen to paper to share the story, in her own words, for the first in a new series of posts called Neighborhood News here at 365Barrington.com.
Zemaitis Family Starts to Rebuild
by Jennifer Vakharia, Barrington Village Resident & Mother-of-Two
Recently a family in our community had a devastating and life-changing house fire. They live two doors down from me, near Grove Avenue Elementary School. They just moved to the neighborhood last year and have three lovely boys ages 3, 8 and 9 years old. The two older boys go to Grove School. Their dad built the coolest backyard treehouse ever, complete with bridge, slide and rock climbing wall, and the boys were often playing outside. This past winter their dad also built an ice rink in their backyard so the boys could enjoy their true passion– hockey. It has also been a real pleasure to watch Andrius and Aiste Zemaitis tirelessly renovate the house themselves this past year.
On April 8th, Aiste was staining doors in her home. When she was done, she threw the dirty rags in a garbage can in the garage. While playing with her youngest son in the backyard that afternoon, she received a phone call from a neighbor saying her garage was on fire. As she came around the front of the house, she saw the flames whipping around and felt the heat…
At the same time, her two older boys were walking home from school. “The fire, smoke and sirens were so scary for the kids,” she said, “It was painful to watch. The kids and I met a couple blocks away because I could not watch any longer as we were losing so much.” They had a lot in the garage — the boys’ hockey gear and their bikes, boxes still unpacked from their move last year.
A few minutes later a police officer came to tell them the entire house was on fire and there were flames coming out the roof.
While firefighters were still fighting the blaze, Aiste shared with me tearfully, “This house is our dream. We wanted the boys to have a backyard and go to a good school. We put so much work into the house. We had just finished renovating the kitchen. It was brand new.” I asked her where they were going to eat dinner or spend that night and she simply said, “I don’t know.” The family lost nearly everything in the fire.
Aiste and Andrius said that everyone in the neighborhood has been really great. When the school found out about the fire, they sent two teachers and a social worker right away who stayed with the family late into the evening.
“The school helped raise money and has been really helpful in transitioning the boys back to class,” Aiste said, “So many neighbors, many of whom we don’t even know, gave us food and blankets and clothes and money. For the first couple days after the fire, those were the only things we had. Our hockey club, the Redwings, helped get the boys new equipment right away so they could keep practicing and at least that part of their life could go back to normal.”
Coach Steve Martins, the director of the Redwings Hockey Organization, knows the entire Zemaitis family well. He was with them the day of the fire. Coach Martin said, “It was easy to mobilize the club to help because we are like family. The time and passion put into the practices and tournaments create strong bonds of friendship. The family is very sweet and their kids are great. Everyone wanted to help and see the kids back on the ice.”
Aiste said, “Sometimes you feel overwhelmed and alone but all the help lets us see we are not alone. We would like to say thank you to everyone.”
The Zemaitis family plans to rebuild their house in Barrington and get back to playing in the backyard. When asked about everything they lost, the boys said they didn’t want a better skateboard or a better bike, they just wanted their old stuff back.
I would like to thank Aiste for sharing her story with me and with all of us. It has been a pleasure getting to know their family.
Aiste and Andrius are working hard to rebuild what has been lost. All of this is complicated however, by deductibles, coverage limits and delays of the arduous insurance process. If you have the chance, do take the time to show your support for this wonderful family in their efforts to rebuild their dream home here in our neighborhood.
The family’s relatives are all far away in Lithuania, so let’s show them how generous and helpful the Barrington community can be. Offer a warm hello, lend a helping hand or share your love of hockey.
If you are in a position to do so, please consider making a donation to help the family rebuild.
CLICK HERE to contribute to the fund set up by our neighborhood at YouCaring.com.
The Zemaitis family will use the money raised to help their kids get back to normal– to replace their favorite bedtime books, their bikes and, of course, the rest of their hockey gear.
Have news about your neighborhood? CLICK HERE to share and we’ll help spread the word.
