STORYBACK


hen her phone rang at work on that spring day, Karen Aikens thought it might be her husband, Keith, or one of


their two grown kids. Instead it was a neighbor, calling to tell


Karen that smoke was billowing from the Aikenses’ home in Baxter, Ontario. Keith had accidently leſt the stove on, and now flames were quickly consuming the structure. By the time Karen and Keith got there, fire trucks were already battling the blaze. Keith watched, wondering if cherished possessions, such as his two motorcycles (parked in the garage), would survive. Tey did, but little else would remain. “It was a surreal experience, watching our house burn while firefighters were hosing it down,” says Karen. “We were in total shock.” A crowd of neighbors gathered to provide


the support that Karen and Keith desperately needed. And then someone the Aikenses weren’t expecting appeared: their State Farm agent. Te agent, knowing the couple would need shelter and funds to tide them over until they could fully assess the damage, arrived with a $5,000 check. Te Aikenses were fortunate: No one was


hurt, and firefighters even pulled their beloved Chinese fighting fish (now renamed Phoenix) out of the rubble. Teir State Farm team, including a fire field claim representative, immediately got to work helping the Aikenses put their lives back together. Aſter surviving the catastrophe, the couple


spent a week in a motel and then moved to a rental house near their damaged home. From there they were able to follow the progress of their new home as it was being built. But they are quick to credit their State Farm team for helping them rebuild their lives. From day one the team “carried us through the entire process,” says Karen.


24 goodneighbour


A Check in Hand A House on Fire,


Even before the flames were out, State Farm®


was there to help.


We tell everyone to call a State Farm agent for their insurance


needs. They were there for us from when the first flame ignited until the last nail was driven into our new home.


— KAREN AIKENS


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