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Kevin and Lauren Lovett and daughter, Marly, along with dog, Otis, were recently displaced from their home in Wildernest due to a fire.
SUMMIT COUNTY —For Summit County residents Lauren and Kevin Lovett, this Christmas is one they most likely will never forget.
It’s the couple’s first Christmas with their 6-month-old daughter Marly, but there will be very few presents under the tree this year after the family lost everything in a fire at their Wildernest condominium on Dec. 1.
“It was just so heartbreaking and emotional,” Lauren Lovett said. “All of a sudden, we were homeless and we had nothing.”
Luckily, the family wasn’t home at the time the fire broke out, and firefighters were able to save the family dog, Otis, before the flames consumed much of the building.
Before firefighters even were done extinguishing the smoldering skeleton of the condominium, the community sprang to action, and the Summit Resort Group — where Kevin Lovett works — found the family a nightly rental.
Local radio stations explained the family’s story on the air, and people all over the county began anonymously donating everything from baby clothes to household goods to help the couple restore some sense of normalcy.
“When we heard, we couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose everything right before Christmas, especially with a newborn baby,” said local resident Kim Devine.
An employee at Mountain Comfort Furnishing in Frisco, Devine rallied her fellow employees and began collecting donations, and owner Heather Jarski even delivered the family a new sleeper-sofa.
“Then I brought over some Christmas decorations ... just for some cheer,” Devine said. “I figured I had extra things, and I knew it was the last thing that they would be thinking about.”
Kevin’s co-workers at Summit Resort Group also did their part to spread the word about the family’s misfortune and, after Deb Borel notified members of the Rocky Mountain Bible Church and the Dillon Community Church, the meals and donations started pouring in.
“It was so amazing to see these people that don’t even know us who were wanting to help,” Lauren said. “At first we had a lot of trouble accepting it because we try to be such an independent family and we’re usually the ones wanting to help others. We knew we needed the help so we swallowed our pride and watched in awe as it came in.”
A few weeks after the fire, the family found a small two-bedroom rental property in Dillon, complete with a backyard big enough for Marly to play in. Although the couple had been trying to save money to buy a home, the fire significantly hurt them financially, and they opted to sign a one-year lease instead.
In the days leading up to Christmas, the couple purchased a tree to make the holiday “as normal as possible,” according to Lauren Lovett, and even though there won’t be gifts under the piney boughs, the couple says that all the help they received from fellow Summit County residents is enough to warm their spirits.
“We’re so lucky to live in the community because had we lived somewhere else, I don’t think we would have gotten this much help,” she said.
“It really made us appreciate this time of year, and I think Marly will probably have the best Christmas of her life. When this first happened, I thought Christmas was ruined. But now I see that it has actually brought our family closer together.”
Ashley Dickson can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at adickson@summitdaily.com.
It’s the couple’s first Christmas with their 6-month-old daughter Marly, but there will be very few presents under the tree this year after the family lost everything in a fire at their Wildernest condominium on Dec. 1.
“It was just so heartbreaking and emotional,” Lauren Lovett said. “All of a sudden, we were homeless and we had nothing.”
Luckily, the family wasn’t home at the time the fire broke out, and firefighters were able to save the family dog, Otis, before the flames consumed much of the building.
Before firefighters even were done extinguishing the smoldering skeleton of the condominium, the community sprang to action, and the Summit Resort Group — where Kevin Lovett works — found the family a nightly rental.
Local radio stations explained the family’s story on the air, and people all over the county began anonymously donating everything from baby clothes to household goods to help the couple restore some sense of normalcy.
“When we heard, we couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose everything right before Christmas, especially with a newborn baby,” said local resident Kim Devine.
An employee at Mountain Comfort Furnishing in Frisco, Devine rallied her fellow employees and began collecting donations, and owner Heather Jarski even delivered the family a new sleeper-sofa.
“Then I brought over some Christmas decorations ... just for some cheer,” Devine said. “I figured I had extra things, and I knew it was the last thing that they would be thinking about.”
Kevin’s co-workers at Summit Resort Group also did their part to spread the word about the family’s misfortune and, after Deb Borel notified members of the Rocky Mountain Bible Church and the Dillon Community Church, the meals and donations started pouring in.
“It was so amazing to see these people that don’t even know us who were wanting to help,” Lauren said. “At first we had a lot of trouble accepting it because we try to be such an independent family and we’re usually the ones wanting to help others. We knew we needed the help so we swallowed our pride and watched in awe as it came in.”
A few weeks after the fire, the family found a small two-bedroom rental property in Dillon, complete with a backyard big enough for Marly to play in. Although the couple had been trying to save money to buy a home, the fire significantly hurt them financially, and they opted to sign a one-year lease instead.
In the days leading up to Christmas, the couple purchased a tree to make the holiday “as normal as possible,” according to Lauren Lovett, and even though there won’t be gifts under the piney boughs, the couple says that all the help they received from fellow Summit County residents is enough to warm their spirits.
“We’re so lucky to live in the community because had we lived somewhere else, I don’t think we would have gotten this much help,” she said.
“It really made us appreciate this time of year, and I think Marly will probably have the best Christmas of her life. When this first happened, I thought Christmas was ruined. But now I see that it has actually brought our family closer together.”
Ashley Dickson can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at adickson@summitdaily.com.
