By Alberto Surís
Under the leadership of Wayne Hayes, a neighborhood activist for over 20 years and currently the President of the Mt. Vernon Neighborhood Association with the active help of Lawrence Firefighter Juan “Manny” Gonzalez, Heal Lawrence is very active in helping families who have lost their belongings in recent fires in Lawrence.
Both Hayes and Gonzalez have worked together in a movement to unseat the actual Mayor William Lantigua during three unsuccessful recall efforts. While they believed recalling the mayor was the best for the city, they realized that to truly heal Lawrence they had to bring people together. They had the good intention but not a goal yet.
When a three-alarm blaze ripped through a house at 9 Lafayette Ave. on Friday night December 7, 2012, leaving 11 people with just the clothes on their backs the duo jumped to action. They started by interviewing the victims, finding about their needs and trying to find them where to spend their first nights. Then they reached out to the community asking for donations, ranging from store gift cards to used furniture.
After the Lafayette Ave. fire, came the Park Street fire, the South Broadway, the Hancock Street and the most recent fire, on Bruce Street on August 5th that left 16 people homeless and still looking for housing. “After a fire, some of the people stay with family and friends, but the ones who can’t, we just want to be able to help them out,” said Hayes. A blind woman who made it out of the house unharmed but lost most of her possessions was placed at La Quinta for two nights. According to Hayes, he was negotiating with the administration of the hotel to get a good rate so victims can stay there.“I like this place, they are local and very accessible,” said Hayes.
Hayes, who has lived in Lawrence since 2000, said Heal Lawrence’s mission is to educate residents about how to receive and give help, and to facilitate getting household items between donors and fire victims. The group also collects gift card donations that volunteers can distribute to victims after fires. It’s inspiring seeing as the public responds to needs,” said Hayes. “It seems as if people are waiting to contribute,” added Wayne. Those interested in helping the fire victims or making a donation can email Hayes at heallawrence@aol.com.
