Detroit youth football program helps family after house fire
(CBS DETROIT) - "I've never lived through anything like this. We have lost everything," said Sheila Mott.
Mott and her daughter, Dionna Robertson, said they lost everything after their house was set on fire early Sunday morning on the 16000 block of Lilac Street on Detroit's west side.
At the time of the fire, Robertson was not home, but Sheila said she heard a knock at the door and when she opened it, the porch was engulfed in flames.
"We were able to make it out the door safely," she explained.
Detroit police tagged the house with a sign offering a reward for information relating to arson.
Although Mott and her boyfriend made it out safely, the family said all of their belongings were destroyed in the fire. Unfortunately, they did not have an insurance policy on the house because they said the home was being fixed up and they needed to complete a few repairs before they could insure it.
Family, friends and the community are stepping up to help the family get the essentials they need, including food and clothes.
"If nobody did a thing we were already blessed," Robertson said.
One of the people stepping up is Darnell Coleman, the athletic director at the Northwest Cougars youth football team.
"It was very devastating to me to hear that news," Coleman said.
Coleman said Robertson's 9-year-old son plays football for the Cougars and when he heard about the house fire he didn't hesitate to help out.
"So I reached out and put a post on Facebook to friends and family and see what we can do help," Coleman said.
Coleman also set up a donation drop location at Detroit's Eighth Precinct on West McNichols to get clothes for Robertson's two children, a 9-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl.
Robertson's son wears a size 10-12 in clothes and a size 6 in shoes. Her daughter wears size 6X in clothes and a 13.5 in shoes.
So far, Coleman said the response has been overwhelming within the youth football community and hopes donations will start pouring in soon.
"I really really appreciate all the support from them. They (Cougars organization) always come through for us," Robertson said.
In addition to Coleman's efforts, the family set up a GoFundMe page to accept donations. Click here if you would like to donate.
