N.W.T. residents step up to help former Northerners affected by fire

As former Yellowknife resident Kevin Giroux prepared his own family to flee the fire that destroyed his Fort McMurray, Alta. home, he was also helping others.

His neighbour, along with her children and pets, had no way to get out of their Fort McMurray neighbourhood of Abasand.

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"Just as we were leaving, our neighbour came out running,"saidGiroux, "I told her:'here are the keys to my truck.' I had a second truck. I gave her the keys and she jumped in the vehicle and took off with all her stuff."

His generosity was paid back almost immediately. When Giroux left Fort McMurrayhe took his family south, to the Fort McMurray First Nation.

"A couple welcomed us into their home," he said."Very openly, lovingly, took care of our children. Helped us any way they could. We were grateful."

Giroux and his family are now in Edmonton, trying to figure out what to do next. No matter their decisionthough, they will be helped along by friends and family.

Almost as soon as news came that his home had been destroyed in the fire, Giroux's friends and family started a GoFundMecampaign to help them out.In one day, the campaign raised more than half of its $4,500 goal.

"We had just finished paying our month's rent and all our bills at the end of the month. To get that funding going and in place, not just for us but for our children, it brought my spirits up. Just like fire, it brings new growth."

Girouxsaid hedoesn't yet know what's next for his family. But his outlook is positive.

"This is a time of new beginning, a new era. Sometimes it takes big changes to make big things happen," he said.

'We want to make sure they know ...we're thinking about them'

JJ and Shauna Canadien, formerly of the N.W.T. hamlet of Fort Providence, also lost their home in the fire, something that spurredLinda Croft, who knows the couple from when they lived in the community, into action.

"She's (Shauna) one of those people who once she is in your community, you know her," said Croft."She is outgoing and helping and doing whatever she can for anybody."

Croftstarted a GoFundMe campaign for the family, setting a fundraising goal of $5,000. Any extra money, she said, will be donated to the Red Cross.

"We want to make sure they know we're here, they're there but we're thinking about them," she said.

Fundraising efforts across territory

Communities across the Northwest Territories have been fundraising for victims of the fires.

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In Fort McPherson, fundraisers haveorganized lunches, 50/50 draws, and even a steak dinner in support of the RedCross. So far, the community of about 800 people has raised more than $2,500.

In Yellowknife, a lunchtime concert was held Friday, raising $2,000 in under an hour.