CLEARLAKE — Lake Family Resource Center (LFRC) suffered great loss at the hands of thieves this week. The organization”s Clearlake location on Pine Avenue across from Burns Valley Elementary School was burglarized sometime between 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and 9 a.m. Thursday.
“We are going to work through this and there will be no interruption of services to the public,” Joy Swetnam, LFRC development manager said.
At first glance, it appears several items of furniture, a microwave, which, Swetnam said, was still in the box; antique lamp and two televisions were stolen. “We”re still going through everything,” Swetnam said. “At this point it is hard to tell all they took.”
LFRC is a community resource organization providing for struggling families of Lake County. It provides a myriad of services from counseling to intervention to parent education and children”s services. “We are here to provide free services for the residents of Clearlake and they have to come and deprive us of our ability to do that,” Glenn Koeppel, LFRC employee said. “We even put some stuff outside that people could take for free. Some people did that but I guess that wasn”t enough.”
Swetnam said the couches stolen in the break-in are very identifiable. She said they are like new, red leather pieces. “That furniture was for our support groups,” she said. “It was a beautiful area for people to sit and talk.”
Swetnam said that two televisions are missing. One, she said is a 37-inch television used for viewing educational programs. The television is also used for class studies and support group needs as well as just entertaining the children while their parents receive services, she said.
Swetnam said the building on Pine Avenue recently suffered flood damage and that remodeling and repairs were just completed. “We had moved everything in; got our children”s room set up for our families. I think that”s what makes me angry; this is for the kids,” she said. “We are here to serve the community and it”s real sad that a few people have such an effect on so many.”
Clearlake Police Department is investigating the incident. Anyone with information regarding the burglary to Lake Family Resource Center is urged to contact the police department at 994-8251.
