Hundreds gathered at the Brunswick Sports Complex on Sunday night in memoriam of the Rizzo-Ruelfe family, whose home on 13th Street caught fire the week prior, leading to the tragic passing of Dominick Rizzo Jr., Alicia Ruelfe, and their daughter Abigail. The family’s 13-year-old son, Dominick Rizzo III, has since been living with his grandparents.
On the night of the fire, RPI lacrosse player Will Roberson ’29 helped young Dominick get out of the house. The extended family has since met with Roberson to thank him.
In response to the tragedy on Sunday, September 27, the RPI and greater Troy community have come together in support of the family. A GoFundMe was organized the next day by Missy Remington, a cousin of the family. As of publication, upwards of $180,000 has been raised in donations, which is about 86 percent of the fundraiser’s $210,000 goal. The proceeds will go towards supporting the family’s immediate needs. On campus, volunteers from Greek life and other student organizations started raising awareness about the incident on September 28, via word of mouth, postering across campus, and raising money for the GoFundMe.
As part of their continuing efforts to help, RPI Fraternity and Sorority Life Chapter leadership shared the following statement with The Polytechnic:
“What happened to the Rizzo-Ruefle family has shaken our community, and when we saw the devastating news, students immediately wanted to find a way to help. Members of over 14 Greek life and other RPI organizations came together to share the family’s GoFundMe, organize fundraising efforts, and help raise awareness. Seeing students from different organizations coming together to care for their community exemplifies the sense of camaraderie and community that we strive to cultivate here at RPI. Many of our organizations were founded on principles of philanthropy and service. We care for our community deeply and will do anything we can to help this family in their time of need.
Our hearts remain with Dominick and everyone who loved Alicia, Dominick, and Abigail. We hope that the support being raised can ease even a small part of the burden ahead and, most importantly, that Dominick knows he is not facing this alone. We hope he can feel the love, prayers, and support of the RPI and Troy communities behind him as he begins navigating his path forward. Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared the fundraiser, volunteered their time, or simply kept this family in their thoughts and prayers.”
Donations can be made here.
Editor's Note: This article was updated at 2:00 pm on October 8 to remove the claim that RPI Student Government and the Panhellenic Council were organizing a fundraiser for the family in the coming weeks. This has now been pushed to the holiday season, directed towards general community support.
