On the morning of February 28, the home of Steve and Cindy Waterstrat at 105 Flaghole Road was destroyed by a fire that was originally reported as a chimney fire. Cindy and her son Kyle Wiley were home at the time the fire broke out. They made it out safely, along with their two dogs and a cat. No one was injured.
The fire went from a chimney fire to a three-alarm structure fire within 30 to 40 minutes of the first call to 911. Almost all of their belongings, memories, and keepsakes were lost in a very short time. “The fire fighters were really good,” said Cindy, “and while in the house were able to save some pictures off of bureaus, and our wedding album. So there were a few of our keepsakes that were saved.”
I immediately started a GoFundMe online donation account to raise money to help the Waterstrats. You can donate by visiting AndoverBeacon.com/Waterstrat. By the end of that afternoon, I had begun to plan and coordinate a benefit dinner.
Benefit Dinner on April 13
Please plan to attend the benefit spaghetti dinner for fire victims Steve and Cindy Waterstrat on Sunday, April 13, from 4 to 7 PM at the Franklin Elks Club in Franklin. The requested donation is $8 per person, with children 5 and under free.
There will be tons of raffle items and a 50/50 raffle. Please bring new smoke detectors and 9-volt batteries, too. We are coordinating with the Andover Boy Scouts and Andover Fire Department to have a free smoke detector/battery give-away at a later date. Courtney Cronin is in charge of this drive.
To donate funds to the family online, visit AndoverBeacon.com/Waterstrat. To donate with a check, please make the check out to Steve or Cindy Waterstrat and send it to AE/MS ℅ Megan Sweeney, 20 School Street, Andover 03216.
To donate items to be raffled, please contact me at 735-5550. We also need volunteers to make desserts for the spaghetti supper!
Pay It Forward
My reason for doing all this is to “pay it forward.” This was my New Year’s resolution. A year and a half ago, my cousin lost her husband tragically. Her community came together and did many amazing things for her and her two children. Now it is my turn to pay it forward and to teach our communities and children what giving truly means.
I have been very blessed by all of those who have stepped forward to make this spaghetti dinner a very successful event. Many people have come together with their time and resources, and I owe you all a huge thank you.
If you have any questions, you can call me at 735-5550. Please get the word out about the spaghetti dinner! This family deserves to be shown what commitment this community has for them and for all of us.