With over $18,000 raised through an online fundraiser, $5,000 raised at a fundraiser held last weekend, and additional checks from local groups and clothes donations from community members, the Lampariello family is starting to get on their feet again.
After a fire burned down their home one month ago, the family has now moved into a rental home, as of Monday, Oct 12. Thanks to monetary and clothes donations from the community at large, the family of five – soon to be six – is returning somewhat to normalcy.
“To be expected, the kids have had their ups and downs,” said Kristina Lampariello, mother of Dominic, 10 months; Kayleigh, 3; and Kelsey, 6. “They’re starting to feel a little more at ease, more normal. We’re just making the transition day by day.”
Kristina and Rick Lampariello are also expecting their fifth child in February.
On Sept. 20, around 11 p.m, Rick Lampariello heard the smoke detectors in their home at 30 Robert Dr. in Colonie, he quickly moved to action. The father ran from the front of the home where the fire took place and where their children slept, and back to the other end of the house to escape through the kitchen. According to Kristina Lampariello, if Rick had been just seconds off, the family would not be here today.
The town fire services bureau has yet to finish its report on the fire’s cause, according to town spokeswoman Sara Wiest.
Since the fire, which Kristina could only describe as a “nightmare experience,” the family had been living at a local hotel. All of the family’s possessions – including their winter clothes, a car, phones, baby clothes and furniture and the couple’s wallets, as well as the family’s cat – were lost.
Also lost was the equipment Krisina Lampariello used for the photography business she ran out of their home.
A fundraiser held Friday, Oct. 9 at the Cook Park in Colonie raised over $5,000, with a silent auction, raffles, a sit-down barbecue dinner and live music. Proceeds were donated directly to the family.
The Watervliet Fire Department, New York State Troopers, The Black Bear Inn and the non-profit organization Kids Count each presented additional checks.
Event organizer Eric Cruz said that about 200 adults and children attended, despite the heavy rain that day.
The Watervliet Civic Center has been accepting donated clothing items for the family throughout the month since the fire. An online fundraised on the website gofundme.com has raised $18,395, and is still accepting donations, with a goal of $20,000. “In life, they hit a bump in the road, and as friends we’re doing everything we can to help them over it,” said Cruz, who lived down the street from the house.
He, as well as fellow event organizers Bill and Angie VanPapten, Mary Allen Therisi, Patti Scott and Marcy Spratt — the creator of the online fund — have been friends since childhood, many since attending elementary school together in Watervliet.
“We have a close-knit group of friends, so we knew they were always going to be there, and we would do the same thing for them,” said Lampariello, who has been with her husband since junior high. “But the additional people – neighbors, co-workers I haven’t seen in years, people we’ve never met before – I was shocked.”
Lampariello said she was grateful even for the kind words given to her online, which have made the situation easier to handle. Even Rick Lampariello, though a private person usually, became emotional when thanking those at the fundraiser.
And, rather than focusing on the many misfortunes that have come with the fire, Lampariello is instead happy to see the love and support of so many in the community.
“We know we have a long road ahead of us, but knowing how much support we have, especially with kids, is nice to know
To donate to the Lampariello Family, visit www.gofundme.com/9s4dw3k8.
