My heart skipped a beat yesterday morning when I saw the images of the flames shooting out of the top of the offices of 4-C’s and Lutheran Social Services. I immediately thought of George Hagenauer and wondered what the hell I would do if I was Executive Director of a Building that had just burned down. (The Social Justice Center had a little fire scare earlier this spring, but all was safe.) Incidently, he described it as “a bit of a kick in the head” . . . that’s probably putting it mildly! I also remembered to check my computer back up system to make sure that it was still working and reminded myself it was time to switch those hard drives.
This morning, I got this email, telling us how we can help. I think its important to pass along!
Dear Friends of 4-C,
Everyone at the 4-C office is safe. No one was hurt in the Lutheran Social Services office either. That is the good news. The building and the contents are a complete loss. Penny Chase, Training Director at 4-C, was telling me that another wall fell in this afternoon and everything is smoldering. They are still putting on water.The 4-C staff is very temporarily in some offices across the parking lot from the burned out building. They are already looking for more “permanent” office space.
Insurance will pay for many of the costs of rebuilding and refurnishing but surely there will be things that will not be covered by insurance. There has been a fund set up if you would like to help out with those replacements.
You can send checks to:
First Business Bank, 401 Charmany Dr, Madison, WI 53719.
Please make the check out to 4-C Support Fund.I will keep you informed if there are other ways that we can help 4-C staff get up and running again. This is a meaningful first step for now.
Please pass the word among your colleagues and friends.
4-Cs is an important partner in helping make sure that child care providers are trained and have technical assistance. It’s worth writing a check if you have the means! I did.
