Fire doesn’t break the spirit of Mary Kirby
Through fundraisers, donations, and more, the Lynbrook community immediately jumped into action after a July 4 electrical fire caused extensive damage to the Kirby family home.
Mary Kirby, the English Department chair at Lynbrook High School, was one of the residents of the home, along with her three children. Being from a multi-generational Lynbrook family, Kirby has made her mark in the community, and neighbors made sure to give back in any way they could.
“She’s so in-volved in the community,” Joanna Santoli said. “She knows everybody’s kids; she knows everybody’s parents. So, when this happened, the fact that the community surrounded her the way it has is not only a testament to the community, but certainly a testament to Mary Kirby.”
Santoli, a good friend of Kirby’s for nearly a decade, acted immediately to help get the Kirby family back on their feet. Santoli posted on multiple Facebook groups, requesting furniture for the temporary home that the Kirbys will be staying in. Some specific items she requested included bedroom dressers, bedsheets and a kitchen table.
“I come home from work every day and there’s piles of stuff on my porch,” Santoli said.
Santoli said that Kirby isn’t focused on furniture shopping now, which is why she wanted to step in and help. Also, Santoli pointed out that Kirby doesn’t even know what her new space is going to look like yet. Santoli wanted to take this burden from Kirby, and the fast reaction from the community was more than Santoli ever expected.
“I put up a post on a couple Facebook pages and within an hour, I could have furnished 10 houses,” Santoli said. “And it’s not only what you see on those posts, but private messages, phone calls from like 80-year-old ladies that have me on the phone for 45 minutes. It’s unbelievable.”
Santoli believes that this sort of response is because of with what Kirby has done for the community, but also because this is a common trait of Lynbrook. Since moving here 20 years ago, Santoli said she has seen the community come out to support someone in need. Although, she noted that she has not seen anything to this scale.
Kaylin Tephly, bartender at Shannon Rose Pub in Lynbrook and close friend of the Kirby family, spearheaded a fundraiser for them at the pub last Sunday. Tephly, who attended Lynbrook High School, explained that Kirby was the type of teacher who always had her door open, whether you needed a snack or an uplifting chat. A quote that comes to mind for Tephly when she thinks about Kirby is “you get what you give.”
“Mary and her children have poured themselves into our community and I definitely saw this fundraiser as an opportunity to show them just how much they mean to the people who love them,” Tephly said.
The sponsors of the Kirby Family Fundraiser at the pub included EGP Land and Sea, EGP Ocean-side, Angelina’s Pizzeria & Restaurant Lynbrook, Vincent’s Pizzeria & Restaurant Lynbrook, Dime Community Bank, Pearsalls Station Lynbrook, SaVinos Pizzeria, Lynbrook Deli, Ambiance Salon & Spa, Xaga Sushi, Press 195 RVC, Mesita RVC, Forest Hills Times, Hand Stone Massage & Facial Spa Hewlett, River Mill Lynbrook, Greek Xpress East Rockaway, Johnny McGorey’s Pub Lynbrook, Fibber McGees Lynbrook, F&L Deli & Catering Lynbrook, and Craft Kitchen & Tap House Lynbrook.
“It’s been pretty emotional to say the least,” Tephly said. “It’s been very emotional to see how many people care about them and how many lives they’ve touched.”
About 72 hours after the house fire, the Lynbrook High School Key Club hosted a Car Wash Fundraiser for the Kirby family. Even though it is the summer, about 50 students gathered at Lynbrook High School to volunteer from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event was supposed to go on until 3 p.m., but due to the overwhelming response and constant flow of cars, it was extended an hour.
“At one point, the cars were almost down by the funeral home and they waited to make a right into the school,” Benedict Tieniber, club advisor, said.
Tieniber said that Kirby is “Ms. Lynbrook” and after seeing the news, he wanted to do something to help. Kirby’s daughter is on the Key Club board so her fellow classmates wanted to help their friend, who just lost everything.
Students from the Key Club and Student Government Association joined together for this fundraiser. Matthew Sarost, principal of Lynbrook High School, and other faculty members took a break from their vacation to wash cars.
Along with Santoli’s efforts, the Pub fundraiser, and the Car Wash fundraiser, two GoFundMe pages were created with about $15,600 pledged for the Kirby family so far.
“When I spoke to Mary the very first time after the fire, she was so positive,” Santoli said. “And she is living in a place of 100 percent gratitude. She is someone who has the ability to focus on the positive and be so grateful for her family and dog getting out of the home.”
Santoli explained that Christmas would be a dream goal of when the Kirby’s can move back into their home, but it is more realistic that it will take about a year.
