The July 15 fire that claimed the life of 9-year-old Vahnne Gower and destroyed the family's house hit close to home for Brandon Schnell.

Like Vahnne, he was also a student in Lehighton Area School District, but he responded to the scene as a volunteer firefighter for the East Penn Township Fire Company.In the weeks following the fire, Schnell and fellow members of Lehighton's National Honor Society felt compelled to help in any way they could.On Sunday, the group, nearly 20 strong, washed cars for six hours at Advance Auto Parts on Route 443 in Lehighton, with half of the proceeds staying in the organization and the other half going to the Gower family."I was on scene that morning from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. and I felt really devoted to this cause," Schnell said at the carwash. "I asked my adviser if we could do a car wash and donate 50 percent or do something for the family. Everyone got behind it and we're just fortunate to be able to help out."NHS adviser Melissa Clark said there are 11 members in the organization but various other students helped out Sunday, many of them hoping to get into NHS themselves."Part of the criteria is to volunteer and do community service, so it's a great opportunity for those NHS hopefuls and they were just very excited about getting out here to help the cause," Clark said.Like Clark, Schnell said he was happy to see so many fundraisers happening to support the Gower family."It's a great community that has really pulled together," he said. "Just in the first two hours of the car wash, we have done a bunch of trucks and cars. Two really muddy Jeeps just came through. It's been a blast."Students held the car wash from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and accepted monetary donations and gift cards for the family.NHS also took hoagie orders for a sale held in conjunction with Mahoning Valley Fire Company and Heintzelman's Meat Market.Anyone who bought hoagies at the sale can pick them up Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. at the fire company.