By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
The Jefferson Township Volunteer Fire Department held its pancake breakfast for the community on Saturday, but the whipped cream on top came Monday.
That’s when the department’s personnel handed $500 to the Sulphur Springs family of five who lost their home, all their belongings and family pets to a fire.
“It means everything. Without the support of our community we wouldn’t be able to move forward from the situation we’re in,” said AJ Horner. “It just makes me thankful we live in this community.”
Firefighters simply put the boot out, along with a sign, at Saturday’s pancake breakfast. The community dropped in $360 for Horner, his finace` Shayla Agin and their three children who are students at Colonel 
Crawford – 12-year-old Lexi, 9-year-old Aiden and 8-year-old Ashton. The firefighters added the balance to bring the gift to $500.
Assistant Chief Ric Cochran said Jefferson, Dallas and Bucyrus townships were the only three township fire departments in the county that didn’t get a call for mutual aid that day.
“Everybody else in the townships went but us,” Cochran said. “We figured we could show our support in other ways, so we did,”
The boys, Aiden and Ashton, busied themselves trying on some baseball cleats and checking out bats and helmets brought in by one of the firefighters’ families. When that was over, they quickly joined the children of that family playing in the spacious firehouse, the loss they had suffered less than week earlier far from their minds.
For their mother Shayla, the generosity of the community who has responded with financial gifts and more was first and foremost on her mind.
“I just want them to know we honestly feel blessed,” Agin said while fighting to hold back the tears. “They just keep me going, all the text messages and the prayers.”
The family stayed at the Holiday Inn in Bucyrus for a couple of nights and are currently staying with Agin’s mother for now. Those who would like to help the family can make cash donations through a Go Fund Me account at https://www.gofundme.com/ft31hg. A fund has also been established FC bank in Bucyrus for the family under Shayla Agin and AJ Horner Fire Fund.
Those who wish to donate clothing or other items may do so at The New Day Ministries Outreach Center on North Sandusky Avenue in Bucyrus or American Family Insurance on Harding Way West in Galion. Make sure to mark the items as being for Shayla Agin.
Clothing sizes for the family are:
Aiden, age 9, size 14 and youth large;
Ashton, age 8, size 8 and youth medium;
Lexi, age 12, women’s medium, pant size 9, youth extra-large;
Shayla, women’s medium, size 9;
AJ, men’s 2X, pants 40/30.
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