The news spread quickly after Jeannine Lake lost her house — almost as quickly as the flames that engulfed it eight days ago.
Lake, who opened Grandma Betty's Ice Cream Shop in the Village this spring, lost her house on the same night that she and her husband were out celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary.
Since that night, neighbors and students have stepped in to help, offering groceries and money and helping run the shop until she and her husband can get back on their feet.
It's never good to see pain come to someone who brings happiness to so many. Gunnar Ingolfsson, a frequent customer, said she made her customers feel like family, "... because that is how she treats us, basically."
Not only is her ice cream something that was previously missing in the Village, but she also has a genuine spirit and cares about her customers.
Several students are helping at the shop so it can keep its regular hours. The reason they connected in the first place is because Lake opens her shop a few times a month for various groups to host fundraisers.
Luckily, Lake and her husband were not inside when the blaze destroyed their house. But there's no doubt that it still leaves a large gap in their lives.
And it causes us to think twice about how lucky we are. Imagine losing a home. It's where we hang our photographs and where memories are made.
But out of the the rubble and charred keepsakes, we can find something positive — the compassion of others.
Some are cleaning up at Lake's residence, sorting through what is left after the blaze. Others are responding to a Facebook event entitled "Cardinal Love for Jeannine Lake and Family!"
The event calls for gift cards from grocery stores and household items, as well as any monetary donations.
It's a story we often don't have the opportunity to report – a story of hope. While it was awful to see such a terrible event in her life, the support for Lake and her family shows us that Muncie has a heart.
And it's great to see a connection between campus and the rest of Muncie. Students often forget about the rest of the city unless they're heading to the bars. But tragedy reminds us that there is more to Muncie than Ball State and Wal-Mart.
It's something we'd like to see happen more often.
Help doesn't always need to come out of tragedy. There are plenty of ways to help out around Muncie. Big Brothers Big Sisters is always looking for matches, the Muncie Children's Museum offers chances to volunteer and Habitat for Humanity has a Web page dedicated to the different possibilities for volunteerism in the city.
There are plenty of opportunities around Muncie to make a difference.
We would love to see students follow the lead of those helping the Lake family by reaching out to the city at the end of our campus address.
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