SUDBURY – A GoFundMe account has been organized by a Sudbury resident who, along with his family, had ties to the Lake Wolsey Obejewung Tent and Trailer Park in Evansville for many years and are among nine families who have been significantly impacted by the devastating fire that brought down their trailers earlier this month.
“Members of my family have been long time campers at Obejewung; over the past 60 years several generations of my family have camped at the park, so it is heartwrenching to see what has happened,” stated Brad Robinson, a Sudbury resident. His trailer was not lost in the fire that took place last week at Obejewung, but many of his family members’ trailers were.
Mr. Robinson has started a GoFundMe fire relief fund campaign to help support the nine families impacted by the fire. He told the Recorder, “both my parents are from the Island, my mom’s side is the Fogal family and my father’s side the Robinson family is originally from Spring Bay.”
“Yes there were nine separate families that were impacted in the fire, and all but two of the families I’m related to,” Mr. Robinson told the Recorder. “Our families all have trailers in that the same area (where the blaze took place).”
“Only two of the nine families had insurance on their trailers (and other valuables such as boats),” stated Mr. Robinson. “We are looking to raise $50,000 towards replacement of the trailers, and to help with cleanup of the debris,” he said, noting that, “three of the individuals have young families and children.”
“We are trying to do what we can for the families,” continued Mr. Robinson, “toward purchasing new or used trailers and in purchasing the necessities. As a family park we all pitch in when someone needs help, so setting up a GoFundMe relief fund seemed to be the best option to help out.”
The Go Fund Me page notes, “on October 5 a devastating fire tore through our campground at Lake Wolsey Obejewung Park on Manitoulin Island. Nine families were impacted. Their summer homes were completely destroyed. Several of these individuals are young families with children who have spent their summers surrounded by friends and family, building memories and sharing laughs. Unfortunately, the majority of those impacted did not have insurance to cover the loss of their trailers, sheds, sleep camps, decks, boats and personal belongings.
“For those of you that know these families you know that they are always the first to provide a helping hand to build, to fix, feed or just be there to listen,” wrote Mr. Robinson. “Now it is our turn to help them, to give back and pay it forward. You may be a relative, a close friend, part of the campground family or a complete stranger; either way, any amount that you can spare will be evenly divided to allow them to replace their summer homes, their ‘happy places,’ as many of them refer to them as. On behalf of the entire Lake Wolsey Obejewung Park Family, we thank you in advance.”
Obejewung Tent and Trailer Park, “is made up of many multi-generational families. I know my aunts and uncles in the 1950s and 1960s stayed at the park and now my cousins and myself are there now,” said Mr. Robinson. He noted he was going to be on the Island this past Thanksgiving weekend to close his trailer, which was just five trailers down from where the fire was contained.
“Ideally, our goal is to raise $50,000, to be disbursed evenly to help those especially who did not have insurance that were impacted by the fire,” continued Mr. Robinson.
Mr. Robinson said that he talked to Jim and Theresa Noble, operators of the park earlier in the day, “and they are still pretty shook up by the whole thing. We are a small camp so everyone is close and Jim and Theresa are great, great people and like family, and it has been devastating on them as well. They are equality devastated.”
