HADLEY — On a necklace worn by Hopkins Academy senior Lucas Red Owl is a ring given to him by his late father. The ring is Red Owl’s only remaining possession, after a fire heavily damaged his East Street home earlier this month.

“Everything I had was in my room,” says Red Owl, 17. “The fire started in my room. I lost everything.”

But inside the charred bedroom he found the ring left by his father, Guy Red Owl, who died in November 2022. His father previously served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and earned a Silver Star while saving three fellow soldiers.

Now, classmates Julia Beaudry and Christian Ciolkos, who recently created an online GoFundMe appeal, are trying to help their friend with the necessary financial support to get clothes and other necessities, with continued uncertainty about when he and his mother will be able to return to the home where they have lived for the past six years.

“We thought about different options to help Lucas out after losing everything, and GoFundMe could help him and his mom the best,” Ciolkos said.

The fundraiser is at gofundme.com/f/please-donate-to-help-lucas-and-his-family

Aiming to also surprise Red Owl, Beaudry said she made the account and, then using Instagram and Facebook social media, began publicizing the fundraiser. Once it was live, it was shared and a group chat has been started to further disseminate it.

A narrative explains that the fundraiser is “to help raise money for him to be able to replace his clothing, possessions, and many other items that were very meaningful to him. This fundraiser is to also help with any costs that are needed for reconstruction.”

Setting a $5,000 goal, it had already cleared over $3,200 as of late Thursday.

Red Owl said he was in a class with Beaudry when the fire broke out late on the morning of Dec. 12. “It was kind of a normal day, but when I found out about the fire, I was dismissed,” Red Owl said.

Though from the outside the East Street home looks much as it did, the inside is burnt out and damaged by water. “On the inside, it’s destroyed,” Red Owl said.

He and his mother are staying with his grandparents elsewhere in Hadley. “It’s been rough on both of us,” he sad.

Whether more will be done is uncertain, but Beaudry and Ciolkos observe that they are part of a 44-member senior class and will brainstorm other ideas through the holidays and into the new year.

“We may be doing another project and doing more might be beneficial,” Ciolkos said.

Red Owl said he is grateful for all who have stepped up to help him and his mother. “We’ve gotten a lot of support from other friends and family,” Red Owl said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.