- Owners Shamus and Kate Smith of League of Enchantment spoke about the disaster and ways the community can help.
- Local Lansing Summit Comic and Games store has offered to have a toy drive that will last through the end of May.
- Donations can be found on their Facebook page and their Amazon wish list.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
A beloved team of superheroes in our neighborhood may be facing their biggest challenge, I'm your neighborhood news reporter Sarah Poulos. The League of Enchantment just lost an estimated $40,000 worth of items in a recent fire. I spoke with the owners to learn what the community can do to help them recover.
"Basically everything's gone."
A simple Sunday drive turned disastrous for the neighborhood nonprofit...
“I noticed smoke coming out of the rear, thought I’d blown a tire, which I had, I got out went back, and there were flames coming out of the wheel.”
Kate Smith, the vice president for the League of Enchantment, says they were moving a truck full of items to their new office location when a tire blowout led to a fire that engulfed their entire trailer...
"We had League history, everything from first news articles. And we can get some of that back with research, but there's stuff we can't get back."
Also lost... office equipment, furniture, and five giant bins of toys for children.
Smith says insurance will cover barely a quarter of the damage... but most of the recovery has come from the community they serve.
"So far, before some donations this morning, we're looking at about 10 to 15 toys."
Summit Comic and Games has offered to have a toy drive and is taking donations to help make sure kids at upcoming events will still be able to receive a toy from their favorite superhero.
Elsewhere, people across our neighborhoods have donated almost $5,000 in the last 24 hours to the League of Enchantment's Facebook fundraiser.. and neighbors can also help through an Amazon wish list.
"To see everyone rally around us has been absolutely incredible. Even if you can't donate either toys or financially, even sharing the post helps get it a little bit further, and it means a lot to us."
I've attached the link to both their Facebook page and to the Amazon link on our website at fox47news.com. In Lansing, I'm Sarah Poulos, Fox 47 News.
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/KPL0BQFDO65K
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