KNOXVILLE, Iowa — The community of Knoxville is stepping up to support someone who’s done a fair share of saving, Cortiney Goemaat, who serves with the Indiana Township Fire Department.
On Sunday a benefit will help Goemaat and her family, who lost their home and barn in a fire on Oct. 11.
Goemaat is used to responding to fires as a volunteer firefighter and EMT. However, she never expected her own colleagues to be saving her family of five and their home.
“I believe things happen for a reason,” Goemaat said. “There's a lot of updates we wanted to do and we started doing, and now it just gives us the opportunity to start completely over.”
Some of Goemaat's colleagues were among those putting out the flames.
“It was different,” Goemaat said. “That's for sure, definitely not something you expect to be on this side of.”
Since then, Goemaat and her family have been couch surfing and staying in hotels. They’re still working on replacing everything they lost. Two of her friends offered to organize a soup benefit and her boss is even letting them use the fire station for the special event.
“When we found out they lost everything, it broke my heart,” benefit organizer Amy Vroegh said. “In a small community, you try to help out as much as possible.”
All of the silent auction items came from community members and small businesses in the area.
“A bunch of my 4-H kids have to do a certain amount of community service hours, so they'll be down helping on Sunday too,” Vroegh said.
Goemaat is grateful the community is coming to her rescue this time around.
“It makes me feel really thankful knowing that I have the support that I didn't know I had,” Cortiney said.
The soup benefit and silent auction is happening at the Indiana Township Fire Department Attica Community Center starting at noon on Sunday.
The Goemaat family is also asking for donations of gift cards; animal feed for cats, chickens and horses; fencing supplies; and classroom supplies.
Donations can be made at the Indiana Township Fire Station located at 1980 Highway G 76. Cash donations can be made through contacting Vroegh at amyvroegh@yahoo.com.