Union Street Fire: Employee Relief

Good morning, Athens!Too much good news this morning to cram into one update. The beer started flowing at Jackie O's brewpub last night for the first time since the fire, the strong Ohio craft beer community is organizing more events than we can track across the state to benefit those affected, and YOU - the members of this wonderful community - have donated nearly $35,000 to help our neighbors who are out of work!The generosity of the worldwide Athens family cannot be overstated. The countless acts of goodwill we've seen over the last four days are a real manifestation of that hard-to-describe feeling anyone who has lived in Athens knows well. I've heard people say for years that there's "something special" about this place. The sum total of every favor, every donation, and every act of community support this week is that "something special."I'm proud of our community today - and always will be. In campaign news, we're meeting with the affected business owners tonight to present the disbursement plan, moving one more important step closer to getting those affected what they need.Thank you all for your continued support. Keep it coming! Donations will be accepted through the holiday season, at least, so please share, share, share!