Tahna Weston
Donations are pouring in for Tony “Radigan” Warren, the Liberta villager who suffered severe burns during a house fire on June 16, Father’s Day, as a fundraising event is being planned for July 6.
Warren and his family, inclusive of five children, were left homeless after a fire completely destroyed their two-bedroom wooden dwelling.
In order to help the family to rebuild and to assist with whatever else they may need, a number of fundraising initiatives are underway, to include a barbeque next week.
This event is being spearheaded by Warren’s sister, Dianne Anthony, who said the event would be held at Kennedy’s Sports Complex opposite the Liberta Primary School starting at 1pm.
Anthony said she is being assisted in this venture by two other individuals who have sought donations of food items and other things to be used in preparing the menu items.
According to her, people from across the island have been reaching out to her offering donations to this worthwhile cause and pledging their support.
She said money raised from this venture would go towards the rebuilding fund for Warren’s house and in purchasing back to school items for her nieces and nephews who range in age from 18 years with the youngest being a four-year-old boy.
“Due to the urgency of the situation, we didn’t really attach a targeted number. We are just hoping that the community will come out and support,” she told Observer. “So, we will be having barbeque chicken, seasoned rice, hamburger, hot dog, pork, goat water.
“So, this will assist [with the building fund] organised by Feona Bailey at Kennedy’s Hardware on All Saints Road … we are hoping that proceeds can go there as well as my nieces and nephews, they lost everything in the fire, so this too will assist them in their back to school since everything they had for school [is gone].”
Anthony is hoping that the St Paul community would continue to lend its support to the family by turning out to support the event.
She said her brother has been receiving overwhelming support from quite a number of people adding that based on the success of this event, a decision would be made with regards to hosting another fundraising initiative.
On June 29, another fundraiser, a telethon will be hosted on MP EP Chet Greene’s We the People (WTP) radio station between 1 to 5 pm in order for persons to call in and make pledges towards Warren’s rebuilding fund.
“I am inviting everyone to come out next week Saturday and support this fundraiser for my brother, Tony Warren and the funds raised would go towards helping him and the family to get back on their feet because they have been displaced,” she said. He’s a family person and this is the first time his family is spread out like that.
“The monies will be used to … get him a house; that’s the main goal of it to get him a house so that he and the family can be back together and also maybe just to put a different song in his heart because he is very distraught over the situation,” Anthony, who describes her brother as selfless and an everybody person, said.
Meanwhile, his close friend Feona Bailey said Warren is now out of the hospital along with his fiancé, who he took from the care home, and are residing with family.
Although his children are still unable to be in the same home with him, Bailey said two of them are living with a great uncle while the other three live with their maternal grandmother.
Bailey said that close to $20,000 has been raised through cash and cheque donations with a number of financial pledges being made, but have not been collected as yet.
She noted that the donation boxes that have been placed at two locations have not been tallied either, but persons have been responding favourably by donating food and clothing.
In the meantime, Bailey is expressing concern about Warren who complained of being in a lot of pain on Sunday.
She said because the father of five coerced the doctors at the hospital to discharge him early out of concern for his family, he has to be treated at the Liberta Clinic.
However, she is expressing concern about the injuries to parts of his face and back, which have been oozing. Warren also received burns to his arm and shoulder.
