CEDAR LAKE | Over the years, whenever Daryl and Lynn Schweitzer learned of a need in their community, they and their children stepped up to help others.
Now, the family -- the Schweitzers and their four children -- are feeling the good will they spread come back to them after suffering the devastating loss of their home in a fire Friday night. Fire Chief Todd Wilkening said Monday a preliminary investigation points to a generator in the garage of the home. An ice storm had taken out electricity in the area.
The Cedar Lake Volunteer Fire Department is continuing the investigation of the fire, which gutted the $300,000 home at 9705 W. 109th Ave. but left no one injured, he said.
The community has rallied around the family, which includes Ashley, a Ball State University student; Adam, a University of Toledo student; Abby, a Hanover Central Junior-Senior High School junior; and, Aaron, a Hanover Central eighth-grader, said Laurie Olson, administrative assistant at Suncrest Christian Church. The Schweitzers are members there.
"Lynn was in here today. She cried at the generosity of the community," Olson said.
"She said people would stuff cash and gift cards in her pocket when they saw her. ... They have been such a part of helping others. Now we can help them."
The Hanover Central girls basketball team feels the same way. Players have mounted a fundraiser for teammate Abby Schweitzer and her family.
"We ask you to please extend a helping hand to a considerate family that needs our help," student-athlete Lindsay Martinez, Abby's teammate, wrote in soliciting T-shirt sponsorships. Proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts will benefit the family.
"The team captains have been visiting local businesses and neighbors to ask for help, and the response from the community has been heartwarming," said Kelly Martinez, of the Hanover Central Booster Club. A Free-Throw-athon also is planned for Jan. 17, in which any Hanover student can solicit pledges for each successful free throw.
The family, now staying with friends, is touched by the thoughtfulness of neighbors. Olson said someone has already replaced Abby's Hanover Central letterman's jacket and the patches on it.
"Our children are feeling their loss," said Mary Joan Dickson, Cedar Lake Parks superintendent and Hanover School Board member. "They are a very active family in our community."
