A Letter of Gratitude from the Park Avenue Fire Victims

Often times one’s good deeds are left unseen, unrecorded, unrecognized. In this letter, we would like to extend our gratitude to those who were there and continue to be there for us as we return to our regular lives.First of all, we would like to thank April Vournelis and the university security. It was a member of security, who witnessed the beginnings of the fire and tried to put it out, while making calls to 911. If it weren’t for his swift reaction, surely things would have been worse. April and other officers were present with us through the upcoming weeks of recovery, even escorting us as we shopped for new clothing.Thank you to Carole Weiner and Melissa Lopez of Health Services for their immediate response to our basic needs and for their care and concern for our psychological welfare. They were with us early the next morning as we searched for what remained of our belongings. Oh, and we loved the Chinese food!With a majority of us being international students, Yumin Wang of International Student Affairs was a tremendous help for recovering much needed documents like passports, I-20’s, and so on. We’ll be sure to sign up for the housing insurance you recommended to us for our new lodgings.Thanks to the Red Cross, basic necessities like food and clothing were provided. We greatly appreciate the free lodging offered by David Oestreicher of Residential Life and the free food from Sodexho. We cannot forget the concerns and the support offered by President Salonen, Dean Oravecz, and Director Edina Oestreicher. Contributions from the Student Government Association, International Awareness Club, and the local church community were instrumental in getting us back on our feet.Last of all, we want to express our gratitude to our friends and other members of the community. At the scene of the fire, neighbors took a victim to their home and tried to keep him from bleeding any further after he broke through a window in attempts of escaping. Another neighbor returned to his home nearby to bring all eleven of us jackets to keep us warm throughout the chilly night. A professor gave a laptop to a student so that he doesn’t fall back too much on his studies. These are but a few examples of the kindness and generosity we have seen as friends have shown their support through giving monetary donations and other gifts, some of which were offered even on the morning after the fire.It’s comforting to know that there are people around us, who truly care and are willing to help each other in times of difficulty. This is something we will never forget about this community and our friends.