Family Life

03.17.11 | Sarah Harnisch

Over 100-thousand dollars in donations have poured in for the Mennonite family that lost 7 kids in a fiery blaze just north of the state capitol in Pennsylvania. The Clouse family says more then 500 checks a day have been coming in-- some from California, some, Australia. They say the cards are coming in stacks. The Loysville Church of the Living Christ, where the kids are buried, said the size of their cemetary doubled in one day; they had only 7 people buried there before the children's deaths. The funeral was completely paid for with private donations. In a single Saturday fundraiser, Saint Paul's Lutheran Church in Loysville raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Clouse family through a chicken barbeque. They also filled an entire tractor-trailor with donated items like clothing and furniture that the family can use to furnish their new home, which is under construction across the street. Family members say they expect some of the cash will go to pay for mom Janelle Clouse's baby. She is 6 months pregnant with a son. They lost 6 daughters and their only son in the fire on March 8th.