A North Tonawanda couple lost nearly everything in a house fire a few weeks ago, but the City of Good Neighbors stepped in to help with the losses. 

The couple. Bailey Godwin and Michael Lekanka, are high school sweethearts. They have been together for 10 years and engaged since 2019. 

Ever since Michael popped the question to Bailey, the two of them have been planning their dream wedding in Costa Rica, and the planning process was going well – until an unexpected house fire just weeks before their big day.

On December 11, the couple was visiting a friend in Rochester when they learned that their home on Sweeney Street caught fire and wiped out most of the upper level.

Michael’s cousin called him to let him know the house was on fire. After the call, the couple was stunned and didn't exactly know what to do or what to say to make the situation seem better. 

The couple started to brainstorm the important items in their house that they hope to salvage, and while creating their list, Bailey remembered her wedding dress was inside.

A gofundme was posted for the couple, and the Western New York community raised nearly $18,000 to help with reparations. 

That wasn’t the extent of the community’s generosity, though. Once word got out about Bailey’s wedding dress, women, whom she had never met before, came forward to offer up their wedding dresses.

Thankfully, the couple was able to save Bailey's wedding dress from the fire, but it needed a deep cleaning. 

And to make the story even better, the men and women who fought to put out the fire that night, paid for the dry cleaning.

The North Tonawanda Fire Department called Colvin Cleaners and asked if they could pay to clean her dress, adding to the acts of kindness the couple has experienced in these last few difficult weeks.

To properly thank their generous neighbors in Western New York, the couple from North Tonawanda will be on the Today Show with Hoda & Jenna on Tuesday, January 12 at 10:30 a.m.

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