By Joe Potter
Friends of a rural Zephyrhills family whose house burned down July 31 have organized a charity golf tournament to help them.
The golf tournament for Vanessa and Robert Dobbins of 33420 Camerton Road will be held Aug. 22 at the Triple S Golf Ranch, 17751 US 301, Dade City.
Vanessa Dobbins, who is disabled, said she has regained her faith in humanity because of the way people have been reaching out to help her and her husband, who is retired.
Some people whom she said she knew could not afford to do so have walked up and pressed $20 bills into the palm of her hand.
The most help of all is anticipated to come from the golf tournament Stephanie Smith and some of her friends have organized.
“She’s my angel,” Vanessa Dobbins said of Smith.
Smith and Dobbins and several other area women are members of a group called the Women of Light. The group gets together each Thursday and helps other women in the community by providing food, clothing and companionship on an as-needed basis. The Women of Light can help people regardless of whether they have a religious affiliation or not, Vanessa Dobbins said.
The Dobbins family “are a caring and loving family. They would give you the last shirt off their back if you needed it. Now they need our help,” Smith said.
At least 10 teams are needed for the charity golf tournament. The format will be a four-man scramble. People may sign up now by contacting Smith via email at . The cost is $40 per person or $160 per team. There will be a 50/50 drawing. Registration at the course is at 9 a.m. on Aug. 22 with tee time set for 10 a.m.
The tournament will feature mulligans, a putting contest, first and second place, longest drive and closest to the pin. A 50/50 drawing will also be held. Organizers are seeking hole sponsors.
Persons wishing to help with cash, food gift cards and clothes may contact Smith at (813) 714-9338. Also, drop donations may be dropped off at Gala Spiritual Doorways, 26300 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Lutz. Stephanie Lee is the contact person at that business and she may be reached at (813) 943-3666.
Also, an account for the Dobbins’ benefit has been set up at CenterState Bank. Contact Deborah Worthing at (352) 521-0715 for more information.
Vanessa Dobbins said their home was only insured for 75 percent of its value. They had difficulty getting insurance because they have cattle on their property, Vanessa Dobbins said.
“The insurance companies consider us a liability because of the cattle,” she explained.
The couple was staying in an old honey house that Robert Dobbins used to use to house 700 colonies of bees. He was in the process of refurbishing the honey house to make it into a second residence so family members would have a place to stay when they visited. Their plans now are to finish renovating the old honey house and use it as their residence.
For some reason, he and his wife were awake and talking to each other at 4 a.m. on July 31, Robert Bobbins said. They noticed the air conditioner was not working in the honey house in which they were staying.
They both also noticed it appeared brighter outside than it should have at 4 a.m. They looked outside and saw their home, — less than 50 feet away — was on fire.
Fire trucks could not access their property from their pine tree lined driveway so the trucks had to come in from an adjacent location and set up behind the Dobbins’ home.
The firefighters did the best they could to put out the fire, Vanessa Dobbins said. It did rekindle a couple of times afterwards and firefighters returned each time to put it out, Vanessa Dobbins said.
The home that burned was like a duplex. It had a kitchen with appliances and a restroom on each side of the house. Each side also had its own entrance, Robert Dobbins said.
A pet parakeet perished in the fire. Vanessa Dobbins said she was thankful she and her husband and their other pets, including dogs and cats, escaped injury.
