HOLLY, Mich. (WXYZ) — A week after the tragic fire in downtown Holly, the community is coming together to start the healing process.
The village has started a fundraising campaign to help the individuals and businesses impacted by the incident.
"The unity is great, and you are going to see a lot more events that are going to happen to raise funds to help them," Holly Police Department Chief Jerry Narsh said.
Narsh says one of them is the village's crowdfunding campaign to raise $25,000. Downtown Development Authority's Nick Klempp says the money will help restore and rebuild parts of the downtown area.
"Our lives were impacted for sure, and employees, business owners, it was their livelihood," Klempp said.
A Holly resident, Angela Wallis, was horrified to see that the hotel where she celebrated her daughter's birthday last month is no more. But now for Wallis, it's all about supporting the community.
"When something hurts one of us, we all bring together to heal together," Wallis said.
Another resident, Shelby Harmon, says seeing the support in the aftermath of the disaster is overwhelming, especially for her kids, who are still shocked about the June 21 incident.
"It's also going to be part of their history to see the efforts the community provides to heal and rebuild," Harmon said.
Related:
- PHOTOS: Massive fire burns buildings in downtown Holly
- Community works to rebuild better than before Holly fire
Village Manager Jerry Walker says he also wants to use future funds to establish better safety measures.
"Tying all these buildings together with smoke alarms and with technology it's possible, but also some fire suppression because we know that there is always a possibility for this happening in the future, and so we want to be ready," Walker said.
Meanwhile, more DDA-approved fund-raising initiatives have been rolled out. For instance, a Facebook group sells Holly Strong T-shirts and decals, while others are selling wristbands and yard signs.
Klempp says the village’s fire department will also be launching a T-shirt campaign to support the recovery process.
"It's not surprising to me because every time there some kind of event or thing going on, people just step up here and that’s why I love Holly," Klempp said.
Jerry says to support high recovery costs, more crowdfunding initiatives will roll out soon starting with a concert on August 13. To contribute to the current campaign head over to patronicity.com.
