LANCASTER — Lancaster is rallying to help the 17-year-old daughter of the woman killed Monday in a house fire on Central Avenue.
Kimberly Kloc, 41, died in the fire that ripped through her house Monday afternoon.
Her daughter, Makayla, has been staying with her uncle, Jeff Leonardi, who was her mother's brother.
“It's been really tough on her, I mean, she's a teenage girl, she's been real quiet about things," Leonardi told me.
He said Makayla is a gifted young woman who has a talent for art and theater.
The mother and daughter shared a special bond. He recalled how during the pandemic, the two of them drove around the country for two months.
"They went all the way to California, they drove everywhere and everything in between and unfortunately all those memories are all lost because that was all at her house and all the sentimental stuff was all there," he said.
Kelly Reddington's niece is good friends with Makayla. When he realized the fire on Central was at her house, he decided he wanted to help. So he started a GoFundMe.
"It just kind of took off and through the power of the Lancaster community," he said.
Among those helping spread the word about the fundraiser is Kailey Banach, Makayla's school bus driver.
"It's heartbreaking seeing the house leveled, I have no words for how broken my heart feels right now," she said.
She created a flyer that she's distributing around town that has a QR code that links to the GoFundMe.
A little after noon Thursday, Leonardi and I checked to see how the fundraiser was going. It was $21,189 from 441 separate donations.
“And that dollar amount is great," Leonardi said, "But I hope that she sees it and sees that there's a major outpouring of support for her here. And maybe that's what she'll really get out of this.”
