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Date: 8/27/2019
HOLYOKE – The city of Holyoke is coming together to support and take care of one of their own after a fire destroyed a Linden St. home.
School counselor, Cynthia Colon-Marquez has worked for the Holyoke Public Schools system for more than a decade, and serviced the city as a social worker with the Department of Children and Families for 10 years before that. In all, she has spent more than 21 years giving back to the community of Holyoke.
In addition to her devotion to the community, her husband, Hector, also works for the Holyoke Public Schools system and is a substitute teacher at the Maurice A Donahue Elementary School.
Their life was changed drastically on Aug. 9 when their home of nearly seven years caught fire and was destroyed. Between the fire and the water used by firefighters to fight the flames, Colon-Marquez said a large portion of the home was damaged and they are unable to continue living there.
However, during the midst of a difficult time the Holyoke community came together to support and take care of Colon-Marquez and her family.
Shortly after the fire, a GoFundMe page was set up by her sister, Crystal. On the page, Crystal wrote, “Cindy is not ever one to ask for help, so I took it upon myself to do this for her. If anyone knows anything about her, they know she is always there to help others, but is very stubborn about asking for help for herself.”
Soon after the page was created, it was shared across social media on community forums and by Holyoke Mayor, Alex Morse. Donations for the family came pouring in, and in just six days people across the community had donated more than $6,000 to help the family get back on their feet.
Colon-Marquez was shocked at both the creation of the page and the generosity of the people in Holyoke. “She [Crystal] knows I would have been like ‘No, don’t do that,’” she told Reminder Publishing. “I haven’t been able to put my phone down, I’m shocked at the love and support.”
She said in the days following the fire she’d received numerous calls and offers for donations of material possessions, but she’s still unsure what they will need once they found housing, which may not be for a little while.
“That’s gonna take a little bit of time. This has been my home for the last 30 years, and I would like to remain here, if not very close,” she said. “It’s hard to tell what we need, at this point, the most important thing is to find a new place to live.”
However, during the midst of a difficult time Colon-Marquez said she’s been grateful for the outpouring of community support.
“You hear things happening in Holyoke that are sad, or upsetting. In the midst of this bad thing people are just really, really kind,” she said.
Those who want to donate to the family can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/cindy-marquez-house-fire-relief-fund.