The Epoch Dream Center in Hebron is asking the community to help raise funds for a family of four that lost its mobile home to a devastating fire on Feb. 4.

The home of Russell and Linda Johnson …

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The Epoch Dream Center in Hebron is asking the community to help raise funds for a family of four that lost its mobile home to a devastating fire on Feb. 4.

The home of Russell and Linda Johnson and two girls, 8 and 14 -- one who attends the after-school program at Epoch Center  -- was ruined in the Giles Lane blaze that killed several pets, although two dogs were rescued by firefighters.

The family owns the land, but didn’t own the mobile home and does not have insurance.

The youngest girl, whose name Epoch Center staff asked not be published, is part of the after-school program for children “who have all kinds of potential, but because of their environment can’t always achieve that potential,” said Mallory Dryden of Epoch Center.

“We fill in those gaps,” she said.

Helping displaced families find housing isn’t something staff commonly tackles, but the family doesn’t have the money to rebuild and the 11-member Epoch Center staff wants to help, Dryden said, adding they have found most local organizations only ofter temporary assistance.

“The Red Cross helps for the first 24 to 48 hours. Catholic Charities in Princess Anne put that family in a hotel for the next 30 days but we want to help them find a place to live after that and to raise money to rebuild a home. The fire destroyed their home. Everything burned to the ground. Because of all the saturation on the ground they can’t rebuild on that land right now. The family is staying in a hotel  and our executive director, Joann Blackmon, is taking charge and trying to raise funding,” Dryden said.

Donations can be made on the GiveSendGo page named Supporting the Johnsons, by mailing checks to the Epoch Dream Center at P.O. Box 218, Hebron, MD. 21830 or on the Epoch Center Website.

The total goal is $20,000 to $30,000. The goal on the Epoch Website is $10,000. By mid-weekend, $700 had been raised.

To donate toward that goal, see epochdreamcenter.com and click on Help Our Epoch Family in Need at the top of the page where donors will find the message, “The family home belongs to a sweet first-grade student who attends our program. She is one of our kindest students, and she brings a smile to her friends' and teachers' faces every day. She is a helping hand in the classroom and will always look out for others in need. But now, due to this disaster, she is left with nothing. She and her siblings, with their parents, lost all their personal belongings, including clothes, food, toys and a safe place to live. Due to their limited means, they cannot replace or repair anything lost in the fire.”

“They can’t live in a hotel forever,”  Dryden said.

“We want to buy a new mobile home or help them rebuild. After they leave the hotel they have no plan, not yet. We are trying to figure out how to keep them in that short-term place. Our executive director is trying to think of what the next steps are. Habitat for Humanity told us they can’t help us. It’s crazy how many organizations can’t help with this situation,” she said.

The Epoch Center helps children, like the little girl whose family lost their home, academically, but also in other ways after they are referred to the Center by teachers in Hebron area schools. Counseling is offered and meals served after school in a family setting around a table with conversation about the children’s days and interests. The center operates a food pantry and provides food security for children who go home hungry or don’t have families to eat with, all free of charge.

The  10-year-old nonprofit is located on North Main Street in Hebron and serves 50 children from kindergarten through 12 th grade Monday through Thursday during the school year and also in the summer.

“We fill a lot of the parenting gaps,” Dryden said.

“We attend the children’s teacher-parent conferences. We go to their awards ceremonies. We get involved when somebody dies, if a loved one dies. We help them begin better stories because some of them are in situations they can’t get out of by themselves.”

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