The September accident spurs a youth-led rally to support the family’s move

By Whitney Barnes
Staff writer

A team of resourceful Marshallese youth have come together to help a local family deal with the aftermath of an unfortunate incident that left their home in ruins.

On the night of Saturday, September 14, at approximately 10:30 p.m., a teenage driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into Frank and Kim Fontaine’s garage while attempting to elude law enforcement. The accident caused significant damage to the house.

Kim and Frank, who were in the apartment at the time of the incident, said they suffered no injuries. However, Kim stressed that the collision still significantly affected her.

“Several weeks after the crash, we were still having trouble sleeping as we replayed the incident and the sounds,” Kim said. “(We became) anxious every time we heard loud noises or sirens. But knowing that God was and is in control and was the one who kept our family safe and alive that night and has cared for us every day since the crash has brought us all even closer to Him. … We now have a great testimony to share with others.”

Due to the structural damage caused by the crash, the Fontaines must move to a new home. Kim mentioned that the entire foundation of her original house is now cracked, causing the house to deviate several inches from its original position.

With the help of Team Valor, the youth group at Gill Memorial Baptist Church, the Fontaine family is making steady progress in settling into their new home. Rob Kinnard, youth pastor at Gill Memorial Baptist Church, proudly shared that the youth group began helping the family on Sept. 22, proving that great things can happen when young hearts and hands come together.

“…Team Valor has decided that we must help. Ben and Emma Fontaine (Kim and Frank’s children) are part of the group,” Kinnard said. “Our group wanted to help not just Ben and Emma, ​​but also the whole family. Our youth are very missionary. (They) care about our community and are willing to put their “yes” on the table to help wherever we are asked to help.”

Kim felt blessed, loved, overwhelmed, and grateful as they watched the youth group eagerly help them clean the new house, pull weeds, cut down overgrown trees, mow the yard, and load the belongings to be stored were destroyed in the accident.

“It brought us tears of joy,” Kim said. “That our church family also came by to help, people who bought pizzas and had them delivered to feed the youth while they worked, the love offering that our church accepted for us, all because of the love of God and His command to love each other. ”

Kim described how Kinnard educates young people about the importance of using their skills and talents to help others and by saying “yes” to whatever God asks of them.

“That’s exactly what our youth at Gill Memorial did. They said ‘yes’ to helping a family affected by a tragedy beyond their control get their act together and prepare a new home for us,” she said. “We can move into our new home on October 31st. … We can’t wait to finally move into our new home because we know how many people have helped us and put a lot of love into it.”

Finally, Kinnard emphasized the positive contributions of youth in the community and at Gill Memorial Baptist Church. He expressed his admiration for their strong work ethic and emphasized the importance of recognizing their efforts.

“We have achieved a lot in a short period of time and it has been thanks to dedication, care and hard work,” he said. “I want to encourage us as parents and leaders to teach our children about doing the right thing, what it means to give to others while sharing our faith.”