Mark Dolmont, his wife, Ali and their one-year-old son, Silas got a rude welcome to Burnaby last week.
Two weeks after moving here from Vancouver, a burglar broke into their house in the neighbourhood north of Lougheed Town Centre and stole thousands of dollars’ worth of cash, computers, sound gear and family jewelry.
“They wanted a place with a nice backyard, which they found,” Arun Fryer, a friend, said of the family’s move to Burnaby. “They were so thrilled and happy to be moving into this house and it just seemed perfect for them, and then they were out on Friday for a couple of hours and somebody kicked in their back door.”
The extent of the losses isn’t yet fully known because many of the family’s belongings are still in boxes.
And, to make matters worse, their insurance hadn't yet been updated to the new address because of the recent move.
To soften the blow, Fryer, a Vancouver filmmaker who has worked on films with Mark, a sound specialist, launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign (The Dolmont Robbery Fund) Wednesday.
The response has been swift and positive, with nearly $3,000 already raised by Thursday afternoon.
It couldn’t have happened to a nicer couple, according to Fryer.
“Mark’s just a super nice guy, and his wife, they’re just some of the nicest, sweetest people,” he said. “It’s a nice community story that actually is turning out to have a happier ending. It seems like we need more of this, especially in times like this.”
