CLAIBORNE -- Where would Bob Ardison be without his community?
Last Tuesday, a fire gutted his two-story, wood-shingled home, leaving him and his three sons with nothing but a ceramic turtle and two boxes of baseball cards.
People in Claiborne, where he has lived for 10 years, and co-workers in Glen Burnie and Annapolis, where he works, have collected clothing, shoes, food, and set up a fund at St. Michaels Bank. The family even has a house to use for the holidays.
"I would be lost without the people in my community," said Mr. Ardison, a child and family counselor for 18 years, first with Anne Arundel County's Department of Juvenile Services and now with the county's Department of Social Services.
The fire in the 10000 block of Miracle House Circle was the first such disaster anyone could remember in Claiborne, a village of about 200 people. The ferry from Annapolis docked here in the days before the Bay Bridge, and the Ardison home served as the ferry ticket house.
Mr. Ardison had already made the 90-minute commute to Glen Burnie and his sons were in school when the fire started at 9 a.m. The fire's cause is still under investigation, the state fire marshal's office said.
At first, the assistance given Mr. Ardison was quiet, if not secret. "This is a man not used to taking anything," said Susan Murphy, a neighbor. "He feels awful about letting down his clients."
"When you're a caretaker, it's hard to accept care back," said Cathy Stinchcomb, another neighbor. She took in two of Mr. Ardison's sons the night after the fire.
In Claiborne, the post office has been the hub of helpful activity. Friends, friends of friends, neighbors and strangers have dropped off checks and bags containing clothes, a rolling pin, a beret like the one Mr. Ardison often wore.
Jim Richardson, who runs the post office and is a good friend of Mr. Ardison's, hands out the mail while he fields calls with offers of a refrigerator, a wooden table, beds and a Christmas tree.
Yesterday, Mr. Richardson deposited $950 into the Ardison Family Relief Fund, which was set up at St. Michaels Bank.
The day after the fire, the Ardisons got three offers for housing through the holidays. They decided to move into a house for sale on their block.
His co-workers at the social services office in Glen Burnie and Annapolis also were determined to help Mr. Ardison, who is divorced and is rearing three sons, Joshua, 17, Ben, 16 and Elijah, 10. His ex-wife lives in Santa Cruz, Ca., with their 14-year-old daughter, Abby.
"Every year I get Christmas presents from my staff, and [this year] I said, 'Why don't we put in the money we had for the year and give it to him?' " said Pamela L. Smelser, supervisor for Protective Services Intake. That's what one unit of the 50-person division is doing. The Holiday Sharing Program, a unit in Annapolis, has chosen the Ardisons as one of its families in need. Another unit is buying the family a microwave and throwing him a "kitchen shower" to outfit his kitchen.
One worker is buying the family presents to replace the Christmas gifts Mr. Ardison lost in the fire. Others are gathering distinctive Christmas ornaments to replace Mr. Ardison's 20-year collection.
"He's dedicated his life to helping children," said Bonnie Davis, supervisor of Continuing Child Protective Services, Mr. Ardison's unit. "I think that's why people seem to be so generous."
Ms. Stinchcomb said, "You don't have to have a name. You need help? He'll help. That's Bob."
Mr. Ardison said he would like to find another home in Claiborne because it's a safe place to rear his children. He is trying to stay in town at least until summer, when his oldest son graduates from high school.
Because of the support of his community, Mr. Ardison is already back at work, where he said he has brought the ceramic turtle, once a knickknack but now a symbol of survival.
"The immediate issue is getting through Christmas. We'll be in good shape," he said. "Out of tragedy comes opportunity. I just need to seize it."
Contributions can be made to: Ardison Family Relief Fund, c/o St. Michaels Bank, P.0. Box 70, St. Michaels 21663.