The Welsh family hold a $1,000 check, which was presented to them by the Shepherdstown Centennial Lions Club, who are pictured here standing around them in the Shepherdstown Public Library on Nov. 20. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — After their home in Kearneysville was burned down this past September, the Welsh family found themselves being embraced by the community.

That could easily be seen on the day after the fire, when a crew of 80 community members showed up to help clean up the location or when, on Oct. 28, hundreds of community members could be found participating in a fundraiser for the family at King’s Pizza. The fundraiser, organized by the Shepherdstown Centennial Lions Club, raised $725 through direct donations and percentage of pizza sale proceeds. An additional $275 was added to that amount by the club itself, allowing it to give the family $1,000 toward their rebuilding project.

“I was really surprised with how much we collected! We’re so glad to have raised this much to give them,” said club treasurer Cheryl Roberts.

Roberts noted that the fundraiser idea had been suggested by club members Michael Sholl and Kathy Sholl.

“Our purpose is to do anything we can do to help or serve the needs of others in our community,” Roberts said. “The Welsh family has done so much for Shepherdstown and Jefferson County. When we found out that they had lost their home to fire, we were determined to do what we could to help them.”

The $1,000 check was presented to James and Dawn Welsh and their daughter, Sarah, during the club’s November meeting at the Shepherdstown Public Library. For the family, this was one more reminder of the generosity and care of their community.

“The community has been very supportive. It’s very humbling,” James said. “You just go through life and don’t realize how many people your life has impacted. There have been so many people we have crossed paths with who have shown up to help — it’s been incredible.”

When the home caught fire from a faulty lamp on Sept. 13, James was busy working in Shepherdstown, running sound with his company, Welsh Sound, LLC at the Appalachian Heritage Festival. He made his way home, after receiving a phone call from Sarah about the accident. To his great relief, although the house was lost, his wife and daughter had both made it out of the house safely.

“We lost our home along Route 480 nine weeks ago,” James said. “We’ve got the place cleaned up and now we’re focused on rebuilding.”

The project, which they hope to have completed sometime in the spring, will cost around $300,000 total. In the meantime, they are living in Sarah’s small home, which is located on the same property as their former home.

“You start grabbing for any positives to think of, when you go through a devastating experience like this one. We know things could have ended up much worse,” Dawn said.

Bu even after things are rebuilt, the family will never be able to replace what they lost. Their home, built by James’ father before he was born, was the home he was raised in and he later raised his own family in. It held priceless memories that must now live on in the family’s memories alone.

The home also held three pets, which were unable to be saved from the fire, in spite of Dawn risking her life to run back into the blaze to find them. Their two dogs, Zelda Peach and Panzie Darling, and cat, Scutty, all perished that day. Dawn herself had to be taken to the hospital when emergency services arrived, to be treated for severe smoke inhalation.

“It’s heartbreaking, to lose your pets — especially in such a tragic way. I had already lost too many pets as it was, recently — after the fire happened, I had lost seven pets in five years,” Sarah said, noting they have since adopted a mother-daughter bonded pair of cats, to fill their hearts.

As the family approaches their first holiday season after this great personal loss, they have continued to express their gratitude for their community, who have ensured they will have as complete of a holiday season as possible.

“We are good with clothes and we’re good for Christmas and Thanksgiving,” Dawn said. “We are even good with holiday decorations, because we kept them in an out building.”

To purchase items the family will need for their new house, visit their Amazon wish list at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/CBK5R79Z5LIW?

To help fund the rebuilding project, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/8s4deg-welsh-family.