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Clyde businessman helps Fort Mac fire victims

When Stu Lorencz saw the aftermath of the Fort McMurray fires, he was shocked. After witnessing so many people in need and desperation, it became clear to him that he had to do something. “They’ve been left there and they’re stuck there,” he said.
Clyde’s Stu Lorencz has been giving cars to people impacted by the Fort McMurray wildfire. Jessica Yeoman and her husband Brian Doucette stand next to their new car.
Clyde’s Stu Lorencz has been giving cars to people impacted by the Fort McMurray wildfire. Jessica Yeoman and her husband Brian Doucette stand next to their new car.

When Stu Lorencz saw the aftermath of the Fort McMurray fires, he was shocked.

After witnessing so many people in need and desperation, it became clear to him that he had to do something.

“They’ve been left there and they’re stuck there,” he said. “Red Cross is gone. The newspapers are gone. Everybody’s gone.”

Lorencz was in a unique position to help as he was sitting on 10 cars that he had purchased as part of an earlier project that he had decided not to pursue. So the Clyde resident decided to offer them to families that had lost everything.

“They’re a collection of cars that I originally had planned on, just for a hobby, I had planned on buying and selling cars,” he explained. “Then, I started dealing with the government. Their regulations were so tight and so ridiculous that I lost interest in that pretty quick. So I’m sitting here with all these cars. Then the Fort McMurray fire happened, and we’re pretty busy here in Clyde taking care of people as they came through. We had booths set up at both gas stations and were giving them supplies — I got to meet a lot of them.

“I decided this was the time to pick ‘em up a little bit. I was looking around, trying to decide what I could do, and I looked at all those cars and I just thought, ‘you know what?’ I decided to give 10 of them away.”

So far, Lorencz has managed to donate six to various families around the province — ranging from a Jeep to smaller compact cars. His only requirement is that they hold a driver’s licence from before the fire with a Fort McMurray address on it. Also, he won’t let people drive off his yard without insurance.

Beyond that, even if the family has decided to move on from Fort McMurray, they are still eligible.

“I had a couple in Edmonton who had to come to work down there — that’s just what life threw at them,” said Lorencz. “No matter what their situation is now, if they made it through that fire and they’re in need in a vehicle, they’re eligible for one. They only need to prove to me that they’ve been through that fire.”

He added that he was planning to put out a call over the weekend to see if he could connect a family or two with a vehicle.

All this comes without any expectations of a return. For him, just the knowledge he is helping out is enough.

“I’ve been soaking wet at least 10 times in the last two weeks,” he said. “You can see it in their eyes. When they step in, you can see it in their eyes. These people are… badly wounded.”

Lorencz expressed his hope that other people would be inspired by his generosity and suggested that they donate to the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) in Fort McMurray, noting that many families are facing a tough Christmas.

“A lot of these people have lost everything, including their Christmas decorations,” he said. “A lot of them are in the position where they are making a hard decision; they can either afford the trappings of Christmas or Christmas presents. They can’t afford to do both.”

He expressed that helping out was a natural decision for him.

“This is my chance to pay it forward,” he concluded. “A fair amount of my trucking life was in Fort McMurray. I’ve made a decent amount of money; my business has made a decent amount of money up there. So I decided to pay it forward. You have to stand up, and it’s been a fantastic experience.

“I don’t think I’ve done anything in my life that’s as fantastic as this.”

Lorencz said that survivors in need should locate him on Facebook.

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