RICHLAND CENTER, Wis. -- The Richland Center community has come together in a big way to help one of its most dedicated residents who recently lost everything in a house fire.
Just two days ago, Judy Elliott's home caught fire, destroying nearly everything inside leaving her without clothes, family heirlooms and more.
While Judy made it out of the house with relatively minor injuries, the blaze killed more than 20 animals she cared for through her work as the head of Richland Center Rescue, a volunteer-run animal rescue in town.
"Losing the house wouldn't have bothered Judy too much; it's just material and she's never been about material things," Richland Center Rescue board member Angela Klawes said. "It was more about losing the animals which is just going to be so hard for her. She's so selfless."
Klawes and fellow board member Kristen Lein both described Elliott as a caring woman who, throughout the years, has done everything in her power to care for animals of all kinds, regardless of the hardships it brought her. Whether that meant rehabilitating dogs that weren't fit for adoption or helping animals reach a point where they're fit for adoption, Elliott has fought for more than two decades to make sure each and every one she comes across has a home.
"The sacrifices that Judy has made over the years are really astonishing," Kristen Lein, Richland Center Rescue Board member, said. "She doesn't care about material things. All of everything she gets, goes back to the animals."
The Richland Center community has come together in a big way to help one of its most dedicated residents who recently lost everything in a house fire.
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Elliott's niece, Bailey Conner, has since put together a GoFundMe page to raise money for her aunt in an effort to replace all she lost and help keep the rescue running while Judy gets back on her feet.
"Please help the woman who gives so much of her time to the community and animals that live there!"Â the GoFundMe post reads.
But the community's efforts to support Elliott stretch way beyond that.
Since the fire broke out, at least three businesses in the Richland Center area have started fundraising efforts of their own. A friend of Elliott's has also worked with The Peoples Community Bank in town to set up a beneficiary account that anyone can contribute to. All of the funds donated will go directly to Elliott. Donations can be made at any of the bank's locations.
According to Klawes and Lein, financial support is what Elliott needs most in the immediate future.
Richland Center Rescue started caring for animals in the late 1990s and has cared for horses, dogs, cats and other domesticated animals since then. Over the years, Elliott and other volunteers have placed hundreds of dogs into permanent homes, saved more than 200 horses from slaughter and re-homed other animals like rabbits, cats and llamas, according to the rescue's website.
"She's one person addressing the needs of hundreds of animals who are being neglected in rural areas," Lein said.
News 3 Now has reached out to the Richland Center Fire Department to learn more about the fire.
​COPYRIGHT 2023 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
Logan Rude is the assignment editor and a digital producer for WISC-TV News 3 Now and Channel3000.com. He can be contacted at lrude@wisctv.com. If you have a tip or news story you would like to see covered, e-mail it to tips@channel3000.com.
