Peters Township musician raises money for ‘my people’ in flooded Fayette County
Even though he lives in Peters Township these days, Scott Blasey still refers to the residents of the Connellsville area of Fayette County as “my people.”
“My mother still lives there,” he explained. “I go home once a week to cut the grass. I still feel very connected to the community.”
On the night of Aug. 28, the lead singer and guitarist for the rock band the Clarks checked in with Marie Blasey following a round of heavy rainfall in much of southwestern Pennsylvania.
“She really didn’t encounter anything out of the area,” he said, but friends he subsequently talked with told of a different situation just a few miles away, at the foot of Chestnut Ridge: “There was a storm that was swirling around that mountain, and it just didn’t move.”
As a result, Mountz Creek, which flows along Route 119 through Bullskin Township and Connellsville before emptying into the Youghiogheny, spilled its banks.
“I woke up on Monday and was just blown away by the devastation,” Blasey said about seeing images of flooding on social media. “My gut reaction was, I need to help, even if it’s taking bottles of water and bleach to the New Haven Hose Company.”
By the afternoon of Aug. 29, he was doing exactly that, driving supplies to the fire station in Connellsville for distribution. While there, Blasey learned about a local business that would match donations toward flood relief, and he decided to help the cause personally and also by calling on others to do the same.
After setting up a PayPal account for contributions, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate thought about how much money he might be able to raise.
“If I get two grand total,” he told himself, “I’ll be thrilled.”
By the end of the day, he had almost double that goal. Overnight, another $1,000 arrived. And the following morning, WDVE-FM aired a telephone interview regarding his efforts.
“By noon, it was almost $10,000,” Blasey said. “It literally brought me to tears. The outpouring from friends and fans was just unbelievable.”
He drove south again to deliver a check to Connellsville Community Ministries, and he plans to keep the effort going: “I’ll keep the window open as long as there’s sunshine,” as he wrote on his Facebook page.
“Every dollar I give them,” he said. “I know it’s going to people who really need it.”
To donate, visit www.paypal.me/ScottBlasey.