Velolic and her three children were in their home when there was an electrical surge that started a fire in her bedroom. The four of them escaped without any physical injuries. But before the fire department could extinguish the fire the entire house was filled with smoke. The cause of the fire was determined to in deed be electrical in nature.

Velclic is a single mother of three boys ranging in age from twelve to five years old and because of this she is eligible for government subsidized housing. The government will pay to repair the electrical wiring in the apartment but that is where the help stops. As far as the smoke damage, repairs to the interior and loss of personal property she is on her own to fix, repair and replace it all.

She came to us asking for temporary help with food and hoping we could help with the repairs. We stopped by on the way home to take a look at the damage and evaluate if we could help her out. The smoke damage is extensive throughout the apartment and the room where the fire started needs to have the walls and ceiling re-plastered. The entire apartment will need to be washed, all wall and ceiling sealed and repainted. There are three doors and door jambs that will need to be replaced as well.

Velolic is not looking for a hand out but just some help. She asked if we could help repaint the apartment. Velolic and her brother will wash the apartment completely, which in my book is the hardest and dirtiest part of the job. We told her that once the place has been washed we will come with a crew of five and do the painting for her.

Once the painting is completed, Velolic will face the challenge to re-furnish the apartment. We hope to start painting for her right after Rosh Hashanah. We pray she will be able to start this new year of in a newly painted home.