Lesley and Tommy Ridge were nosy children growing up in the residence of the Governor of Pennsylvania in the 1990s.
Two children of the former Governor Tom Ridge often looked from their heads to the governor’s reception when they returned from school to see which event their father organizes.
And one specific day in 1999, who, in addition to Fred Rogers – known to the world as Mr. Rogers, visiting the residence to accept the award – he would wave them to a magnificent peace, he would invite them to sit at the piano and teach children to the children how to play your iconic theme song “Will you be my neighbor?”
Lesley Ridge, 39 years aged, still remembers how to play a song over 25 years later. She was reminded of a special moment with Rogers – as well as countless hours she spent playing piano at the age of 9 to 16 – when she saw the same tuned and destroyed instrument in the shocking images of the governor’s residence after the arson attack last month. While the governor Josh Shapiro and his family slept to the residence after they organized Seder on the first night of Passover, the man broke into the residence and began a few fires.
»Read more: Arson in the residence of the governor Josh Shapiro exploded within a few minutes. Impact continues.
38 -year -old Cody Balmer was accused of attempting to murder, terrorism and other crimes in an attack on the Governor of Governor Pennsylvania, for which the police said that Balmer “feeds on hatred.” Balmer’s family said that she was experiencing a crisis of mental health.
“Governor’s apartment was not just a historical residence for my family. It was really our home,” said Lesley Ridge, who had lived in a residence with her family for years. Seven other families also called the Harrisburg residence house. “Now, knowing and learning that the fire influenced me, one of the most personal spaces, you just felt as if you lost part of the past at the moment.”
The attack of arson led all of the five live governors of Pennsylvania and the first six women – both Republicans and Democrats – to combine forces to collect money to restore the historic house, completed in 1968.
»Read more: What to know about the residence of the governor Josh Shapiro, in which he set fire to the arsonist
There were governors and the first women will host a private fundraiser in the governor’s residence on Monday in the hope of collecting money at about USD 500,000 in repairs, whose place of residence will not be covered by insurance, said former governor Ed Rendell, who lived in the residence during his two terms of the governor.
Rendell added that each of the governors – Rendell, Tom Corbett, Tom Wolf, Tom Ridge and Mark Schweiker – plans to transfer his own donation to the fund.
“We had great memories and we want to contribute to keeping it,” said Rendell, a democrat.
“This is influential when public opinion sees democrats and republicans standing shoulder on his shoulder,” added Rendell. He said that the group rarely joins forces, but it joined to condemn political violence, such as arson in the governor’s residence or on January 6, 2021, an attack on the USA.
The fundraiser will benefit the governor of the residence protection fund, which is in the state public-private partnership, team of Pennsylvania. Team Pennsylvania – and the security fund itself – She faced control because, as a non -profit organization, not a government entity, there is no same level of transparency in relation to sponsors.
Shapiro met with criticism for using a private fund to represent Pennsylvania in Main sporting eventssuch as the last victory of Eagles Super Bowl.
Team spokesman Foundation Pennsylvania noticed that people can access form 990 to obtain public information about its funds and that the security fund plans to “publicly thank the donors who contribute to constant efforts to restore residence.”
The physical maintenance of the governor’s residence with an area of ​​29,000 square feet is largely financed by taxpayers from Pennsylvania, but the Protection Fund is a source of most of the renovation and equipment for the first family during a residential residence, he said several former governors.
The collection of money began to shape shortly after the attack of arson, when Corbett and his wife were the first lady of Susan Corbett, they began to talk about how they could lend a hand restore residence. Tom Corbett, a republican who lived in a residence during his four -year term, said that he then turned to other governors regarding the ways to supplement the reservation and assistance fund in covering the costs of restoring the governor’s reception, which was destroyed in the fire.
Corbett noticed the geographical diversity in all of Pennsylvania that each of the former governors of the Nations Community brings to their funds to collect them – Corbett from Pittsburgh, Wolf from York, Ridge from Erie, Schweiker from Levittown, rendell from Philadelphia. He noticed, however, that there were leaders, most of whom almost completely avoided the headlights since leaving the office, they had to coordinate so that they would not approach the same immense donors.
“Can you imagine you get four treatment from four different governors?” Corbett asked playfully.
The former governors look at their residence with love at their time. For Corbetta it was a still cup of coffee on a shady patio or a peaceful walk on a stressful day. Rendell said he loves to surprise those who visit the residence during public trips, when he and his two golden retrievers went down the stairs for the whole day, as well as grabbing behind schedule night ice cream directly from the freezer in the kitchen of the residence, and smells of the press.
Corbett said he was convinced that their collection of money would succeed.
“We have a generous population in Pennsylvania and I think that people will significantly contribute to this repair,” he added.
Shapiro organized his first event in the residence last week – an annual Easter egg hunt for kindergarten students – and has already resumed staying at the residence.
At a press conference, after hunting for Easter eggs, Shapiro described former governors and the first women as “incredibly supporting” and said that the Department of General Services in Pennsylvania is working on providing the first floor of the residence for the collection of money. He hopes that the reception room will be re -opened through Central Lata.
