When Fire Brought Tragedy, Groton Reached Out

In late January, the family of 2011 Groton graduate Ysis Tarter lost all their belongings in an electrical fire at their home. The Groton community was heartbroken, but it didn’t take long for this service-minded School to jump into action.

Math teacher Cathy Lincoln, an emergency medical technician for the Town of Groton, announced the tragedy at a faculty meeting and posted the news to internal conferences. She asked for help, in any form.

The response was immediate: faculty, staff, and students—whether they knew Ysis or not—donated furniture, clothing, housewares, and cash, enough to help the Tarters get back on their feet. “Exactly one week after the fire, their apartment was fully furnished,” says Cathy.

About a dozen students volunteered to move furniture—and the load was substantial. The School provided a dining room table and chairs, while individuals handed over bunk beds, a bureau, a couch and chair, lamps, rugs, a microwave, pots and pans, dishes, and a plentiful supply of clothing for Sonya and Jerome Tarter, as well as their 12-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son (Ysis was safe at Stanford).

Above, Mr. and Mrs. Tarter with four of the Groton School students who helped deliver furniture and other items for the new apartment.

Several Groton dorms held clothing drives, and the Sixth Formers, Groton’s senior class, held a variety of fundraisers to benefit the family. One Groton dorm, aware how much the youngest Tarter loved Legos, collected cash to buy him a new set.

The Tarter family thanked Groton in a beautiful letter, describing their gratitude and the comfort they felt to see a familiar face, firefighter and Groton School Director of Sports Medicine Art Cheeks, at the scene of the fire. “While we stayed at the hotel for three days, we prayed and tried not to worry,” the family wrote. What mattered most was that our family was safe. We believe God was at work in the hearts of our family, the Groton School. Still, we never could have anticipated the great blessing we received from the Groton School.

“… We were overwhelmed by the love, support, and commitment the Groton community has shown us during our time of crisis. We will always be grateful for your service and we can’t thank you enough for everything you have done. You will always be in our thoughts and prayers.” And the Tarter family will be in ours.

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