For junior Reese Glover, her day started off as any other day. As she sat down with her friends for lunch, her life suddenly changed. She watched from her friends’ phones as her house went up in flames, destroying everything that she knew and loved.
“It did not feel real. It still doesn’t… My dad had sent me a text [that said] ‘Our house is on fire’ exclamation mark. I didn’t think it was real because my dad likes to joke… and then one of my friends, who’s my neighbor, came up to me and showed me pictures of flames coming out of my house,” Glover said. “I was just so taken aback, so I left and went home.”
The fire started from the golf cart in the Glovers’ garage on Sept. 20. The specifics of what caused the golf cart to catch on fire are still unknown, but the fire originally emitted from inside the garage.
“The fire did not go through the whole house but it went up through the garage into the attic,” Glover said. “It completely destroyed pretty much all of my parents’ room. All of the insulation and everything fell and got everywhere, so pretty much everything was damaged.”
The biggest motivator for Glover has been her community of family and friends. People from different communities have come together to provide a support system for Glover and her family. Whether it is her cheer team or church group, the immense amount of support that Glover is receiving has been a huge eye-opener for her.
“I’ve never seen a community come together as much as it did and it’s honestly been so incredible,” Glover said. “People I’ve barely talked to [have helped and donated] and random people in our neighborhood have anonymously been donating… we’re so thankful for the community we live in.”
A major part of her community are two of her closest friends, junior Emma Voakes and sophomore Saylor Porcaro. Both girls are teammates from her cheer team who have grown together throughout the year. Voakes, Porcaro, and the cheer squad in general have been an enormous help in keeping Glover’s mind off of these life-changing events.
“My friends just being around and [have helped me a lot] and especially cheer. That’s one thing that I just wanted to keep going normally in my life, and it has. My coaches have been amazing through it and my team is so so sweet to me they’ve just been amazing,” Glover said.
Her friends have been more than happy to aid and support Glover and her family during this troubling time. While tragic, this experience has been such a bonding moment for Glover and her friends. During this time in need, Glover has seen her community and friends come together like never before, and now feels the love and support of everyone around her.
“[This experience has] made us way closer. We were best friends before, but now she feels like my sister, getting to see her like that is something I never thought I would experience. It just makes me see her in a different way,” Porcaro said.
Voakes and Porcaro have been more than willing to take the time out of their days to ensure their closest friend has the resources and any help she needs.
“I went downtown and bought her a couple things, like clothes and anything to get her [and] her family started,” Voakes said. “I want to just always be there to support her and help and her family out in any way I can.”
Porcaro and Voakes see this experience as a time for self reflection and realization. Porcaro said she now knows to be grateful for everything she has and that anything can happen unexpectedly.
“It’s made me realize [to never] take things for granted… Reese that morning left her house thinking she was gonna come back and sleep there that night and then she never did. [It’s made me] want to take everything one step at a time,” Porcaro said.
