'Comfort Kit' Made by Somers Children Brings Joy to Fire Victim, 4

By Krista Madsen: 

A "very sweet" 4-year-old boy, whose home was destroyed by a residential fire in Sleepy Hollow on Monday, was overjoyed that his ruined Christmas presents would be replaced by something very special. 

"This time of year around the holidays, we have donors who provide gifts and we come with packages pre-made," said Josh Lockwood, CEO of the American Red Cross Greater New York Region.

Red Cross spokesperson Carolyn Sherwin further explained that these "comfort kits" are handmade annually, on Valentine's Day, by Somers Elementary School children and Red Cross volunteers in honor of Stephanie Crispinelli, who died in the Haitian earthquake in 2010. 

This 19-year-old from Somers was on a humanitarian mission there with fellow Florida college students. Since then, the Red Cross helped her family and her family has donated much in turn to the Red Cross, funding this comfort kit project.

"Her family really became a part of our family." Sherwin said.

The young Sleepy Hollow child lived in one apartment with his extended family that included a total of three adults and three teens when the fire broke out.

"We heard there was a 4-year-old and we grabbed a bag for him," Sherwin said. "His eyes lit up. It took away the stress of the fire, telling him he could go to the hotel with his own pillow."

The comfort kits contain a pillow, a blanket, a care bear, and coloring book for kids displaced by fire. 

The family's home is uninhabitable and half of their apartment suffered major damage from the fire itself, said Lockwood who spent a day in the shoes of his army of volunteers.

As part of a mission to raise awareness about fire safety – particularly in light of the spike of fires we experience in the northeast at this time of year – and to highlight the important work Red Cross volunteers do daily around the clock, Lockwood himself spent Monday through Tuesday morning on a 24-hour disaster relief duty.

Reactions when one’s home is ravaged can cover the spectrum; this Sleepy Hollow family, said Lockwood, was only full of gratitude for the help and generosity they were offered. He described the Spanish-speaking family as “so wonderful and incredibly grateful."

As Lockwood joined his volunteers in assisting this family with emotional support, getting clothing and food and securing temporary housing (for now, at a local hotel), he talked to reporters on the scene about how Red Cross volunteers make themselves available for emergencies 24-hours-day, 365 days a years.

As early indication pointed to an electrical problem behind the Sleepy Hollow blaze, Lockwood also talked about the escalation of fires in homes this time of year and preventative measures.

Here are winter fire safety tips from the U.S. Fire Administration and FEMA.

Lockwood learned first-hand the challenges his volunteers face of serving such a wide region with so many fires. There are six to 10 disasters every day in the greater New York region, he said, “and you can’t be everywhere at once; that’s what I’m finding.”

There were three simultaneous fires on Monday morning – one in Mount Vernon, another on Long Island -- and he could only be at one.