Last Saturday was supposed to be the start of a fun family weekend in Hershey for the Leydig family.
Instead, the Leydigs – who are well known for their leadership in the State College Little League program – lost their home and the vast majority of their possessions.
Derek and Jodi Leydig and their three children were some 80 miles outside town on their way to a big baseball tournament in Hershey when they learned from a neighbor that their house had caught fire, possibly due to a lightning strike.
On the hour and a half drive back home, Derek Leydig says his family was overcome by conflicting emotions. Though they felt relieved no one was trapped inside the blaze, that comfort was muted by pangs of worry and fear.
“All we knew at that point was that the fire trucks were there. We had no idea how bad it was,” Leydig says. “Obviously we were scared to death. It’s not just a house; it’s our home, so all that sadness and fear kept flooding in.”
From the outside, the handsome home almost looks unscathed, save for a broken window and signs on every door warning visitors not to go inside. But Leydig says the interior suffered massive structural damage, to the point where their insurance company believes only the foundations may be salvageable – and even that’s not guaranteed.
But here’s the thing about Little League: it’s a team sport.
“The rest of the team was still headed to Hershey, and all through the tournament the parents kept asking each other ‘what can we do, how can we help?” says State College resident and Little League mother Chris Marshall.
Marshall, with the help of the rest of the State College Little Leaguers, has set up a drive to raise money for the Leydigs in their time of need. Donations can be brought to the front desk of Rex Energy on Walker Drive, which volunteered to be a part of the fundraiser.
Derek says the family is “still figuring things out day by day,” so Marshall’s goal is to raise money to help with short term goals like finding temporary housing. She is specifically asking people to consider donating cash or gift cards so the Lyedigs have some cash on hand as they figure out their long-term needs.
You can also donate online at a GoFundMe page set up by one of the Leydig’s neighbors, which has already raised close to $7,000.
“We feel truly blessed to have so many people that care about us this much,” Leydig says. “We can’t get over how much generosity and kindness we’ve received. It’s there’s anything to take away from this experience, it’s that.”
Marshall says she’s not surprised by the way family, friends and teammates came together to help the Lyedigs through this difficult time. In a way, it was the only choice they had.
“Derek and Jodi are great people, and they’re always out at the ballpark volunteering their time for these kids,” Marshall says. “I know they would be the first to do this if it happened to someone else so, in a way, it’s easy to do this for them.”
