All I can say is, THANK YOU everyone who helped financially, emotionally and materially. The way the community help out within hours of the fire was astounding. All helped was appreciated. It was my brother's house that it happened to. I am so grateful for every ones help. As for wiggles and his vet bill, it was taken care of by both the Vet and anonymous donations. The Tuescher family and my family are so grateful for that help as well!! Again, Thank you from my heart!!

"caryvank
Dec 23, 2011 at 12:21 p.m.
Suggest removal

Nicksmom- Just thought I would let you know the Vet who is taking care of Wiggles has just wiped out the remaining $1000 bill."

The paper said the vet bills were wiped out from donations-not the vet. just to clarify. By Thur 2 pm all donations covered it.Very cool.

nicks mom,
I hope you can represent me some day. You are the the perfect attorney, no heart.

I understand Nicksmom completely and I think that to judge her based on these few comments are extremely short-sighted. I, too, tend to take a more pragmatic approach to situations like this. Whenever there is a benefit or donations needed for any cause, I don't just rush to give, I find out the facts first, because leaving out a small detail could change the situation greatly. As an example, when I first heard of this fire I wanted to know how it started. Why should that matter, you ask? Well, if a Christmas tree went up in flames, that would be one thing. If their meth lab blew up, it be something else entirely. (Thankfully it was not something as sinister as the latter!) But you get my drift. I also know firsthand how a few bad apples go to great lenghts to rape the charity system, so yes, it prevents me from just blindly giving, and I make no apologies for that. I'm just making sure my efforts and time and money are going where they should be going. I don't trust everything I see and hear. I also wondered "do they have insurance?" Not that either answer would change the fact that they have been through an awful tragedy and desperately need to replace their things, but it's one thing if they just need a few things to get by and another if they have absolutely no way to replace those things on their own. The details DO matter.
*
I was going to go through all of my kids' clothes and toys to see if there was anything I could give to the little boy, but I held back. Why? Not because I don't want to share my used things (quite the contrary), but because I was sure that this community's businesses would come forth with an outpouring of money and gifts for brand new items that would be much better than any old hand-me-downs I could offer. If I'm wrong, please correct me and I will be glad to help out. I just know there are other unfortunate folks all over the city that need things too, they're just not front page news.
*
Best of luck to the Tueschers, glad everyone was safe (that was my biggest worry) and I hope you guys can turn tragedy into a Christmas miracle!

SarahB1: I am an attorney and I will not disclose my name or my practice area to protect my identity. I take pride in the fact that my practice allows me to help the less fortunate not sometimes, but every single day. I probably do more pro bono work in a week than most attorneys do in a lifetime. My point here like Steve said is with respect to insurance. When my friends' home burned down her agent was on site immediately. That is how it should work. She didn't need to ask for things because the Red Cross was there with some temporary relief & her insurance company cut her a check immediately. It wasn't for the total amount but it was a great starting point. It is wonderful that there has been such an outpouring but it just struck me as odd that so much was being requested for what should be a compensable loss. I'm not a heartless scrooge by any means, quite the opposite. My hope for this family is that they have a reputable insurance company that is giving them what they need.

I think I know what nicksmom is getting at, that no matter the need and the feelings of wanting to give to cases that we see in the media (there are so many more "everyday situations" that the general public never hears about), we're not doing anyone any favors if we don't know the backstory.
But, nicksmon, I want to know more about your claim "Another charity asked for gifts for kids via a giving tree. Turns out the kids were made up."
If what you say without details is true, you owe it to everyone to give details, so that they don't fall for this implied scam. If what you mean is a giving tree might ask for gifts for a generic 10 year old because the charity has 25 ten year olds to provide gifts for and is trying to get gifts for them all, that is not exactly a scam. It might be a practical solution for that charity. Please elaborate.
Meantime, I am relieved for this family that the community is seeing to their immediate needs.

this is horrible. it's good to see the support they are getting , My friend had a house fire in Sept and her , her husband and 3 kids had to live in a hotel for months they got to move back in thier home the week of thanksgiving. It was horrible on them. The insurance company kept dragging thier feet and not willing to pay for repairs because most of the damage was done by the fire dept. Even though they were able to move home thier home is still tore up as they are trying to re build room by room themselves. They gave up waiting for the insurance company! I wish this family all the luck to get back into thier home as soon as possible, remember to stay strong, it will get done!

No need to pile on Nicksmom. She was just pointing out the insurance side. This is tragic. If insurance was proper and the claim was filed I would suspect the family may have a check very soon (if not already in hand). People gripe about insurance premiums but these tragic events are why we pay them.

My best goes out to the family.

So glad to read of the generosity of my hometown. So sad to read they way off topic meaness!! Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

I don't think the vet is being greedy for wanted to collect for needed services. Before this email saying they were covering the care my thoughts were I assume vet care may be down in these times as well do to economics. I know I put off kitty shots for one month because of an unexpected bill I received. teeth cleaning may be delayed as well. They do work and should be paid. In this case it looks as if they waived the fees. Nice. Ever a reduced fee would have been gratefull I assume to this family for saving the one pet.
True if an over flow of anyhting hopefully they will ion turn donate it back to those in need. Sometimes the size is stated but things still don't fit correctly. As the case with 46x30 cannot be an easy size to find.
I am not calling names just stating my opinion.

So we cannot donate to wiggles anymore?

Nicksmom- Just thought I would let you know the Vet who is taking care of Wiggles has just wiped out the remaining $1000 bill.

Nicksmom, doesn't matter if they had insurance to compensate for the loss. In many cases, the money will NEVER compensate for what was lost (family heirlooms & pics)and furthermore, I strongly suspect the insurance company will buck them every step of the way and getting them to pony up will not only be a timely event, but one that is less than expected.

realist: I'm crushed! However will go on? Kind of funny that your handle is realist when it seems like I'm the only realist on this thread. I was simply inquiring as to what the financial & insurance situation was. Is that not a valid question? Apparently not. It's good to have friends & community support, but I just think this is overkill for something that should be more than adequately compensated by insurance. Certainly there is a need, but what is it? Meet that need & move on to others in need. Everyone on this thread appears to be so charitable. That's a good thing. Shouldn't that charity be directed to the appropriate place? How much is needed here when there should be insurance in place? Apparently that it isn't a valid point either. Everyone is attacking me calling me names etc... Whatever I could really care less. Why not attack the greedy vet who is charging for services for a family pet injured in a fire? Apparently that's not a valid point either. It just seems to me that facts are lacking here & there are questions left unanswered. My opinion plain & simple. What a boring country this would be if we all agreed. I guess we will all have to agree to disagree. Now here's my request to all of you: Your community is in the dumper. Take this spirit pull it together & change your community for the better & don't worry about anonymous me because I don't even live in Janesville.

Hopefully Nicks Dad is taking the role of raising Nick. I am sure the "upper middle class" home you live in is very merry this time of year. I don't think you were ever taught the meaning of christmas. Hopefully you wake up before it is too late for your child.

caryvank: I will agree with that. I was very touched recently by the story about Officer Valley. For a community hit so hard by the economy there is a lot of generosity by people who probably cannot afford to give. I think it was Greg Peck who recently asked about what readers thought were the community's greatest assets. Clearly that is one of them. On a personal note, my church adopted a family in need a few years ago. We were told about how they had nothing & were on the verge of being homeless. The local media picked up on the story. They showed the outpouring from the church, many of whom themselves were strapped. And there was the mom & her young daughters on the 5:00 news with new outfits & hairdos they paid for out of their own pockets to look pretty on tv. Another charity asked for gifts for kids via a giving tree. Turns out the kids were made up. That's why I have a poor view of charity & am extremely cautious about where I donate.

I think you should be called out. I'm pretty sure you are just a glass-half-empty kinda person.

nicksmom, are you serious? that kind of mentality, 2 days before Christmas, no less!

I feel sorry for Nick!

Given the sentiment of this community, why is the vet not donating his/her services? Profiting from this tragedy! I think he/she should be called out.

I get how you feel about giving to a charity, you don't know who or how the money will be spent, so please, settle down. All I'm saying is, they are a family, not a charity. Anything they cannot use will be donated to someone who can, not thrown in the dumpster. Are people reaching out and giving more because it's almost Christmas, probably. Who cares? I for one am amazed, and on more than one occasion, brought to tears at the outpouring of community support.

I gave plenty to those in need this holiday season and a few more bucks to help wont hurt.
If somebody helped with my vet bill I would be grateful but I haven't just lost everything either and to know my kitty is okay is worth it.
I have said before that is too much to spend on a cat BUT this cat wasn't dying and just needed to be fixed. I cannot help the place in Madsion took advantage of me with some unneccesary tests because I didn't have my own honest vet to take care of him ( I missed that part in the message that he was avaiable-talk about hind site 20/20!!). But he is well and I will help them so at least they get one pet out of three back.
Maybe I can talk to RCHS and see if they would donate a kitty.

Wiggles is doing well. If you donate they will write you a receipt for taxes. Hey every little bit helps.
They are off of HWY 26 on McCormick-3113.

caryvank: I also said that I don't like people who do not tell the whole story. If you're going to quote me at least have the courtesy to get it right. I have said repeatedly I do not give to charity because I have personally observed immense waste & that makes me feel taken advantage of. I give to an immediate family member, my brother, who is out of work due to a serious medical problem. I'm actually an incredibly generous person more than most so don't be so quick to judge me. In fact I know someone who just lost their job last week & gave them $100 cash. Is that okay or do I need to give them my entire 401K, sell my house & move into a shelter? You people are unbelievable!

I was referring to over kill donations that could go to the poor instead of going to 1 family that are only going to wind up in a dumpster in a week when they go out & buy all new. As for $50k in insurance. I think the article says $50k in damage & doesn't reference the policy value. Usually a homeowners policy covers the building & there is separate coverage for the contents & if you have items of exceptional value such as jewelry they should be under a separate policy. Many also cover replacement value & not simply the present value of what was lost which is often substantially less than buying new. Policies usually also cover the cost of living elsewhere until you are able to return to your home. I was simply inquiring as to whether this was a situation where there isn't enough insurance - yikes! I would think a few donations of cash, the $700 in gift cards & clothes would suffice & they could cover their immediate needs w/savings or credit card purchases until their insurance claim is finalized. It all seems a little dramatic pull at the heart strings to me unless there is a financial issue at play here that is not addressed in the article.

nicksmom- How about instead of being mean and rude to a family that lost EVERYTHING, you could give the address or phone number of a charity that they could give the excess to...oh wait, you don't give to charity. I think you once said,

"Like mom used to always say, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." I think this is a great feel good story, so pooh on those negative comments."

"donations that could go to others that don't have the benefit of insurance which will pay for all new things."
I suggest they get some insurance then!! No eacuse not to have it.

Yes they have insurance but how does $50,000 cover home loss AND ALL the stuff in it. Seems under assessed to me!! I will help wiggles.
Is badger vet care on holiday dr?
I just had an er vet bill from madison for over $900. They need help with wiggles!

I speak from experience. My neighbors house did burn down 2 years ago & their insurance agent & the Red Cross were on scene immediately. A few donations fine, but this seems more than a little over the top for expenses that should be covered by insurance & for donations that could go to others that don't have the benefit of insurance which will pay for all new things.

nicksmom - really? Generally, any sentence that starts with "I know I'll get attacked for this, but......." is one you shouldn't finish.

nicksmom-
I can only hope you or your loved ones never have anything like this happen to them. The point is, Christmas is days away, and the insurance check...probably weeks. They need help now, not weeks from now. Have a little compassion this holiday season. The vet is Badger Veterenary Clinic. Wiggles is a very sweet little dog that means a lot to the family. They lost everything, I hope he makes it out of this okay!

I'm sure I'll get attacked for this, but I don't understand this request for all this stuff from third parties. Don't these people have insurance? I could see the need for a few things upfront, but let's not get carried away.

frogger, a house I lived in burned to the ground in 1969...20/20...that could have been avoided too.

hind sight 20/20. I am sure you have a hind sight 20/20 story too.
How aweful.

Yes frog...the "fire was out and then it started again"
That would not have happened if the Fire Dept. had been called the first time. Some tragedies can be avoided.
Best wishes to the family and kudos to all who are helping.

Thank you for saving one of his pets. I hope he will be okay. To lose a pet is terrible. He lost 2 kitties.
What a horrible feeling to know the fire was out and then it started again. Glad nobody was home and prayers to this family.
Does anybody know which vet to donate to?