WALHONDING, Ohio — We told you back in June that a fire destroyed the camp headquarters of the nonprofit "because I said I would." The organization helps families impacted by loss or abuse. Two months later, we kept our promise to follow through.
We don’t just report the initial story—we follow through to its conclusion. Read and watch our previous reporting on this story below and see more stories that we've followed through on here.
The Lakewood-born nonprofit "because I said I would." is rooted in resiliency.
"This was our warehouse, so all of our memories were filled in here, but also every functional piece of supply and equipment besides our workshop," because I said I would. CEO and Founder Alex Sheen said.
The total loss of its new $3.3 million headquarters just east of Columbus in June has proven that very sentiment. Sheen said despite losing everything, they're pushing forward.
"The tragedy that happened to us with the fire is not going to stop tragedies from happening to other people," Sheen added. "We closed down for a total of four days, then just kept going."
Sheen said thanks to our coverage after the fire, it jump-started recovery efforts. Physical and monetary donations started coming in, and so did volunteers.
"Absolutely, when we look at not what only folks who have seen these news segments have not only shared it but came here and volunteered, that's a huge thing," said Sheen. "People have driven Atlanta, flown in through New York City, of course, come from Ohio to help here."
Someone from Texas even donated $90,000 to turn a barn into a new workspace for his team. A shed is a new addition too.
"We have plans to rebuild to the capacity of however that goes, but we aren't going to pause to sit here and wait to make an impact," said Sheen. "We have to continue to act, and that's what we are doing."
Sheen is keeping some of the leftover debris from the fire. He said he wants to turn it into something beautiful to serve as an important reminder.
"We are looking for local artists to work with us to create appreciation gifts for our donors using the building remains," said Sheen. "We are going to use some of this material in different shade shelters and trail markers and things like that as we remember what it took to get here and to the next step."
Sheen said they will begin rebuilding their main headquarters soon. They're currently working with an architect on new designs, but the need for help continues.
"Even in instances like this, people assume things are handled, but because of the scope of the disaster, we are going to be fighting the good fight for maybe a whole year," Sheen added. "That's why we are looking for support. So, one year from today, I hope you come down and film another one of these with a building standing behind me."
CLICK HERE to learn more information about how to donate and help.
