As Blondie Brooks watched her Trumansburg home burn to the ground this summer, she realized that everything she and her family owned was gone.

“I had to just stand there and watch the fire,” she said. “All that was left were the clothes on our back.”

Brooks, a cashier in the Campus Center Dining Hall, chokes back tears as she recalls that June 7 evening. But thanks to the help of friends and community members, Brooks said she and her family are finding a new life in their town.

Living in Trumansburg has always evoked mixed emotions for Brooks. One of the few black families in town, the Brookses had to endure daily racism simply because of the color of their skin, Brooks said.

“People would yell names at us, shoot BB guns in my pool and steal ornaments off of our lawn,” Brooks said. “My kids were very popular in the community and stood up for themselves in school.”

Though time did not bring a complete end to the hate, Brooks said her kids’ involvement in the school community made living in Trumansburg easier.

“Many people were terrible to us, but I told my children not to worry and to hold their heads high,” said Brooks. “They could have driven us out of town but because we lived our lives, we came out to be stronger people.”

Brooks’ perseverance was challenged again when her house burned down this summer. Coming home at 10:50 p.m. from the hospital where she was visiting her ill father, Brooks said she saw the blaze from up the road as she approached the house. Brooks said when she realized that her son and four grandchildren were not in the house when the blaze started, her first concern was rescuing her dog.

“Smoke kept me from getting into the house, and a few minutes after I got there the house exploded,” Brooks said. “It sounded like a big bomb went off.”

Brooks said it took approximately half an hour for the Trumansburg volunteer fire department to arrive at her home, and by that time the house was a total oss and her dog was missing. Trumansburg Fire Chief Jason Fulton said the fire seemed to have been started in the basement.

But Brooks said she is hesitant to accept that answer. “Deep down in my heart, I think somebody started that fire,” Brooks said.

While others would have assessed the damage and given up hope, Brooks and her family strived to keep on surviving. Although her family didn’t have fire insurance, Brooks said she continued working hard to keep the family afloat. Negotiating a reduced-rent system with a sympathetic local landlord, Brooks is still living in Trumansburg.

“I’m not going to be pushed out of the door in this community,” Brooks said. “When I get ready to move, I will move on my own.”

Inspired by the family’s resilience, the Trumansburg community rallied in support. The local school system held fund-raising drives in order to support the displaced family. Brooks said she was also surprised by the generosity of organizations such as the Red Cross, local acquaintances and her co-workers at the college.

“When God closes one door, he opens another up,” Brooks said. “It felt real good that somebody cared and that something good came out of this.”

Brooks said she is impressed with the empathy she is receiving from the Ithaca College community, including kind words and support from co-workers and students.

Senior Joncier Rienecker took an immediate interest in helping Brooks. An active member of the African-Latino Society as well as a Student Government Association representative, Rienecker asked both organizations for assistance soon after learning about Brooks’ situation about a month ago. Although ALS was too involved in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts to effectively assist Brooks, SGA adviser Terry Martinez pointed Rienecker in the direction of Muller Chapel.

“I think it is imperative that the IC community remain interconnected and mindful of those who need assistance, especially in lieu of all that has occurred with Hurricane Katrina,” Rienecker said.

At the chapel, Brooks’ information was passed on to the Ithaca College Chaplain’s Emergency Relief Fund. The fund, which provides relief to staff, faculty and students who are affected by catastrophic events, pays for bills that may have amassed because of coping with such a tragedy.

“It might be an outstanding [New York State Electric and Gas] bill or a vehicle repair or a plane ticket home for an emergency,” said Michael Faber, Jewish chaplain. “The fund rarely allots more than $200 per case in order to ensure that funds are available as other situations arise.”

Brooks told Rienecker that she needed new sheets for her grandchildren, and Rienecker passed this information on to the Ithaca College Chaplain’s Emergency Relief Fund, which will discuss the request with Brooks when she is ready. Some students said they are simply giving Brooks the same positive attitude they receive from her.

“She’s always in such a wonderful mood and takes time out of her day to see how everyone else is doing,” said sophomore Ashley Houseknecht, a student manager at the Campus Center Dining Hall. “She’s such a strong and compassionate woman.”

For now, Brooks is focusing her energy on her family, her new home and her job at Ithaca. Brooks, who has worked in dining services since 1999, said that Ithaca College students have kept her hope alive.

“I love these kids,” Brooks said. “I was really down, but when I got back to work and saw the kids, a burden had been lifted. They really did lift my spirits.”