CHAMPAIGN — Six local motorcycle groups have worked together to contribute money to help a Champaign family that lost most of their possessions in a house fire last week.

Rick and Lori Hill, six of their seven children and a teenage guest escaped from a fire at 1109 W. Springfield Ave., C, early June 19.

The Hills had moved into the two-story house a few days earlier after living in a house on James Street in Champaign for two and a half years.

While the Hills had insurance for the house, they had not yet purchased insurance to replace the contents, and most of the family's possessions were either lost in the fire or damaged by smoke and water.

John Peeler, president of the StoneCold Motorcycle Club, said he and other motorcycle enthusiasts decided to help the Hill family.

"We read an article in The News-Gazette last week about the Hills and the fire, and we tried to figure out what we could do to help," Peeler said. "These people live in our community, and we all need to take care of each other."

Peeler contacted members of his club and five other local motorcycle organizations— The Dinosores Motorcycle Club, The Bond-Slaves Christian Motorcycle Club, The Regulators, The Atomic Dogs and The Armed Forces — and all agreed to contribute money to help the Hills.

"Obviously, when anybody in the community goes through something like this, we want to be a blessing to them," said Dave Rees, chaplain for the Bond-Slaves Christian Motorcycle Club. "Everybody chipped in a little bit to make it happen."

On Monday afternoon, Peeler presented the Hills with a $150 gift card from County Market to pay for groceries and $600 cash to help pay for the deposit and first month's rent for the family's temporary home in a three-bedroom townhome apartment at Westbury Park in Champaign.

"This incredible generosity leaves me speechless," Lori Hill said. "The grocery card will be great because we found out we have to throw away all our groceries."

Lori Hill, a funeral director and embalmer for Mittendorf-Calvert Funeral Home, said the new apartment means her family will be reunited. Their youngest daughter, who was staying with relatives in the Kankakee area, returned to Champaign on Monday night, and two other children staying with relatives in Marion will soon come home as well.

"We'll be a little bit cramped. But for a few months, we can do it — as long as we are all together," she said.

Rick Hill said the family television set survived the fire, and he and his sons plan to bring a water-damaged piano, a china cabinet and other items from what's left of their house to the apartment today before the interior is gutted.

"They are going to start demolition on Wednesday," Lori Hill said.

Rick Hill said the family plans to rebuild their home and move back into it within six months.

Lori Hill said she received 25 emails from community members willing to donate household items to the family.

"Now that we have an apartment, I can email them back," she said.

She said the family still needs pots and pans, silverware, bedding and curtains.

While the Hill family has received donations of clothing for the children, they still need men's clothing for Rick Hill.

"Our next project is to gather donations for clothes for the husband," Peeler said. "We're not done. If we look out for each other, it's a whole lot better."

Persons interested in donating can contact Peeler at cbent71@hotmail.com or can contact the Hills at lorim.hill@comcast.net.