To the Editor:

We appreciate all Ken Fortuin has done over the years as a friend and a top-notch builder, to help us and so many other people in the Hilltowns realize dreams for our homes and other projects.

We feel for the Fortuin family, which has been an institution in Knox for generations.  We are hoping Ken will be able to get the help he needs to recover, and make restitution and make a new beginning.    

We also appreciate Andrea as a self-made businesswoman, an advocate for the homeless, and for her other contributions to the community. She has touched a lot of people here with her yoga and healing work, and with her spiritual leadership. We feel for her and the children, who have all been a valuable part of our Knox experience. 

We are hosting a fund-raiser at the Octagon Barn on Saturday, Feb. 22, from 1 to 5 p.m.  It is advertised as an effort to help Ken, but we will also provide an opportunity there for people to express support for Andrea and the children. 

We admire the creativity and the industrious work ethic of their whole family.  We have enjoyed them as neighbors and friends.  We want to show them we care about them all.

Amy Lauterbach Pokorny

Russ Pokorny

Knox

Editor’s note: Although Amy Lauterbach Pokorny is a Knox Town Board member and Russ Pokorny is the Knox assessor, they wrote this letter not in their official capacities.