GoFundMe Helps Columbia Townhouse Blaze Victim Recover

People have donated nearly $10,000 to a Columbia woman who lost her home in last month’s townhouse explosion in Clary’s Chase.

Honi Bamberger, Ph.D., lived in one of six houses destroyed in the Sept. 23 fire, where she resided for more than 20 years, according to her daughter, who set up a GoFundMe account to help replace some items that were lost.

Bamberger is a professor of mathematics at Towson University and has authored several math books.

“As we left the house at 1 a.m. that morning, escorted by firefighters, [Honi Bamberger] said, ’I want to take my math books that I have written, all of my supplies for teaching...’ but everything was soaked and damaged and we were only allowed to take what we could quickly grab,” her daughter wrote on the GoFundMe page.

Related:

• Columbia Townhouse Explosion Leaves $2M in Damage
• Fire in Columbia Upgraded to Three Alarms

“Insurance will cover most things but unlikely will be able to assist her in rebuilding her enormous mathematic book and supply collection that she has amassed in over 40 years of teaching. I am starting this campaign so that she can begin to buy back all of those manipulatives, books and resources so that she can as quickly as possible go back to what she loves so much, teaching children and teachers mathematics,” her daughter said. “Any donation is greatly appreciated and will go a long way to help spread her love of math to teachers and children all over.”

The goal was $10,000 when Stephanie Bamberger started the GoFundMe page more than a week ago, and by 11:30 a.m. Monday, approximately $9,381 had been raised.