West, East unite behind player

By NICK DETTMANN

Daily News Sports Editor

A family's tragedy has turned into the community's shining moment, leaving the family in shock.

Clara Olson randomly woke up in the middle of the night. She glanced at the clock near her bed. It showed she had two hours before she had to get up for school.

She was excited.

She was going to curl her hair and make it nice and pretty.

Then she faintly heard a couple of her brothers talking to each other. The only thing she could pick up was, "Do you smell that?"

Suddenly, one of them screamed, "Fire!"

It was a moment that all went by so fast, but won't be forgotten.

Olson, her father, Larry, her five brothers and her sister were displaced after a fire at Larry Olson's house, 5018 Fairy Chasm Road in Trenton, in the wee hours of Dec. 16.

"I didn't really know what was going on," Clara Olson recalled. "I thought somebody burned something in the toaster."

Olson's parents are separated, so her mother, Teri, was not at the house at the time of the fire.

Clara Olson is 15 years old. Her brothers are David (21), Aaron (20), Danny (18), Sam (13) and Tim (10). Her sister is Laura and she's 8.

As you could imagine, the past couple weeks have been tough. But given the circumstances and what could've happened, the family is in good spirits.

"I think in another five minutes, we would've been breathing in smoke," Clara Olson said.

Olson, dressed in her pajamas, raced out of the house once she picked up on the awful stench floating throughout the home. Once she was outside, she stood in disbelief as the garage was in flames.

"I didn't even want to look at it," she recalled. "I couldn't believe it. It didn't seem realistic. It was like a dream."

A statement from the Washington County Sheriff's Department estimated damages to be more than $300,000, which includes four cars. The cause of the fire hasn't been released, but it was initially believed to start in the garage where the Olsons store solvents and electrical equipment.

Olson said just about everything inside the house was deemed a complete loss. She didn't lose anything of sentimental value, but did lose medals and trophies she won. She was just glad she and her family made it out safe.

Since then, the children who are under 18 years old split time between mom at a townhouse she rents in West Bend and dad at a hotel. They are doing OK, Olson said, but living in a hotel is getting old.

But recently, she and her family got an enormous gift Ñ a gift of giving. It has left the family in shock, Clara's mom, Teri, said.

Clara Olson is a member of the West Bend West varsity girls basketball team and the Spartans' head varsity coach, Mark Maley, stepped up to help.

"The concern I had was not only that we do something in the short run," he said. "But also that we be there in the next couple weeks and months because I think this community cares a lot about its individuals."

Then he got an idea.

A couple days before the fire, Maley and the West program finalized plans for a skating party to replace practice. It was just going to be a time for the players, coaches and parents to have a good time.

Within moments of finding out about what happened to the Olsons, Maley, who said he would've opened the doors to his home if needed, saw it as an opportunity to help the family.

"It was important to do something for them," Maley said.

To help with his idea, Maley approached West Bend East head coach Don Gruber and its team members about organizing a fundraiser on behalf of the Olsons.

At first, the East players were hesitant because they were wondering why the so-called enemy coach wanted to talk to them. Once he explained the situation to them, there was no longer a hesitation. Instead, there was excitement on how to help.

"We're trying to teach life lessons through the game of basketball," Gruber said. "But this is a life lesson."

The benefit was held Dec. 21, which featured the players from East and West - thought to be bitter rivals. The results were extraordinary.

In just two hours, more than $6,000 was raised and piles of clothes were donated to help get the Olsons back on their feet.

"It meant a lot," Clara Olson said about the outpouring of support. "We didn't really expect it. It was amazing to see how many people reached out and said, 'Hey, do you need anything?'"

Gruber, who co-coaches the West Bend Wizards basketball program with Maley, which Olson is also a member of, postponed an alumni game in order for his program to attend the fundraiser.

"Our basketball community really stepped up," Maley said.

Gruber added, "I'm just happy that in some small way we could soften their loss and pain and suffering. They've got a lot of rebuilding to do."

And here is the best part, the giving hasn't stopped.

"It is overwhelming that people want to help us," Olson said.