Counselor raises money for arson victims

By Carley Gordon

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    NASHVILLE (WSMV) — Investigators are looking for a man they believe intentionally set a fire in Nashville, displacing a family of six right before Christmas.

Teachers are rallying to make sure the kids in that family don’t have to go without this Christmas.

The parking lot at Cockrill Elementary was empty on Monday with winter break well underway, and yet inside, there was a flurry of activity.

School counselor Donna Resha taught all four of the seats children, so when she heard their home had been burned to the ground in an apparent arson last week, Resha knew she had to take action.

“These kids are more than just your students,” Resha said. “I just want them to feel safe and have some normalcy.”

Resha started a GoFundMe site to help raise money for the family.

In just four days she surpassed her $10,000 goal. While it sounds like a lot of money Resha said, when you’ve lost everything, it’s just a drop in the bucket.

“When you have six people, four of those being children in the family, you need a new vehicle, you have to have deposits for apartments or houses,” Resha said.

It’s why on Monday that Resha went a step further, organizing a donation drive.

Teachers came in on their day off to drop off gift cards, art supplies, shoes, blankets and shirts.

“Everyone wants to be here. I would say before 2 o’clock most of our faculty and staff will be here,” Robin Soutard, education dean at Cockrill Elementary, said.

As she worked, Resha wore a shirt that said, “In a world full of Grinches be a Griswold.” Resha is now convinced there’s plenty of that goodness going around.

“Just the amount of people that are reaching out and literally digging into their pockets, or cleaning out closets, or going to the story and buying brand new items, it has just restored a lot of my faith in humanity during the Christmas season especially,” Resha said.

The Seats are currently staying with a family member.

The donations are being stored at the school so the family can come and get what they need when they need it.

Click to donate to the GoFundMe account.

If you have information about who may have set the fire, contact the Nashville Fire Department.

The fire at the Albion Street home happened around 5 a.m. on Thursday. A nearby business’ security camera caught a man on camera walking away from the scene.

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