Arlington Heights community doesn't forget family after tragedy

When Amy Svoboda searched for a date for Westgate School's running club race, she settled on June 2 because it was National Running Day.

Then a thought popped into her head: "Is that the date?" After checking, she realized June 2 was also the anniversary of the horrific house fire in Arlington Heights that killed Westgate fifth-grader Garrett Finnerty and his parents, Patricia and Kevin Finnerty.

Even though Svoboda only casually knew the Finnertys, she decided to use the race as a fundraiser for the two surviving Finnerty children, 13-year-old Bridgit and 7-year-old Pierce. Soon, three other Arlington Heights schools had joined in, wanting to help the cause. Now, hundreds of children are participating in the June 2 race, Run4Youth, which will mark the Finnerty fire's anniversary with smiles and laughter, not just tears and sadness.

"People forget that there were a lot of children impacted by this, not just Bridgit and Pierce," said Jennifer Murphy-Cazares, of Arlington Heights, Patricia Finnerty's sister and the children's guardian. "To give something happy for them to do on that day, instead of thinking about a scary fire, is a good thing."

After last year's fire, which police say was set by a depressed and suicidal Kevin Finnerty, help for the family flowed in immediately. That morning, before talking to anyone in the family, the women in Murphy-Cazares' bunco group went out and bought her everything from children's underwear to extra bedding. Meals were brought to the home daily. People donated bikes, clothing and gift cards to help replace everything the children lost in the fire. Beautiful memorials and big fundraisers were held.

Then something unusual happened: it kept going. Week after week, month after month, more fundraisers and acts of kindness were done on the Finnertys' behalf.

While it's not unusual for a community to rally around a family after a tragedy, it tends to taper off after a few months. In Arlington Heights, the remember-the-Finnertys mindset never wavered - not for an entire year.

Concerts, garage sales, businesses donating percentages of their sales, sales of bracelets, prints and children's books, and charity softball and basketball games were among the dozens of fundraising events held to help the family offset the cost of three funerals, legal fees, and all of the other expenses Murphy-Cazares and her husband, Jerry Cazares, faced when they became instant parents and executors of the Finnerty's estate.

People also donated materials and labor to rebuild the charred Finnerty house, which Bridgit and Pierce, who still live nearby, regularly go past.

At one fundraiser, "Neighbors Unite: A Tribute to Garrett," more than 600 people came out for a night of live music at a downtown Arlington Heights bar, raising more than $8,500.

"People don't want to judge them, but love and support them," Svoboda said. "It has a lot to do with kids, and it has a lot to do with Jennifer because she's such an awesome person."

Murphy-Cazares said the response has been humbling, awe-inspiring and lifesaving. But after this June 2 run, even though they're still in need of some materials and labor for the house remodeling, she wants people in the community to focus their efforts and make donations to other causes.

"There are a lot of people that can use help right now," she said. "(The community) got us through the worst year ever. We are so grateful for that. But I would like to let everyone know, we're OK. We're ready to be normal and kinda just like everyone else."

Many friends attribute the outpouring of support to the fact that both Kevin and Patricia grew up in Arlington Heights and were very active in the community all their lives.

"Everyone knew the Finnertys. They were not only active members of (Our Lady of the) Wayside church, but very gregarious and outgoing. Kevin had made a lot of contacts with businesses downtown, places that exhibited his art. They were regulars. They connected," said Jean Reibel, the Mount Prospect architect overseeing the house remodeling. "This touches a chord in all of us. If a family as decent and loving as this one can have something so horrific happen to them, how vulnerable we all are."

While Murphy-Cazares is impressed at how the fire united the community, she hopes the tragedy also opened people's eyes about the dangers of depression.

"If anything's learned from this situation, it's that this was a normal family. My sister was not battered. My sister was not in an abusive relationship. Depression hit their family. When it happens, you stand by your spouse and say, 'We'll get through it.' People don't realize that depression can be that serious and it causes a mind to break. People just snap. People really need to look at this story and learn from it, and get help for people who need it," she said. "I never thought Kevin was capable. Ever. That's what's scary about it. If he was abusive, this might have been easy to understand. But there is no profile. That's what depression can do."

To pay it forward, the family is launching the Garrett Foundation this fall. Its mission will be to help Arlington Heights residents who suffer a tragedy, such as the loss of a parent. Murphy-Cazares says she hopes to organize a network of resources to help others in a time of crisis, the way the community helped her.

It should be a success, said David Buenzow, of KDH Builders, the contractor remodeling the house.

"I think Arlington Heights is still a small-town community. Something so tragic finally brings out the good in people. I'm not quite sure why," he said. "Jennifer and Jerry are my neighbors ... they are a great couple, great people. As tragic as it is, the kids couldn't have ended up with better people."

Staff Writer Debbie Donovan contributed to this report.

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<h2>Stories</h2>

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<li><a href="/story/?id=384248">Finnerty House undergoes major remodel <span class="date">[05/28/10]</span></a></li>

<li><a href="/story/?id=384247">An open letter from Jennifer Murphy-Cazares <span class="date">[05/28/10]</span></a></li>

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