by Chelsea Schneider - Nov. 29, 2008 12:00 AM The Arizona Republic
Marius Dasianu, 9, suffered severe burns over 75 percent of his body when his house in Romania caught fire. The blaze killed his parents and left Marius to face a long, painful recovery.
The doctors treating Marius had done all they could when Jessica Free, a 20-year-old missionary from Mesa, began visiting him in a Romanian hospital in January.
Marius needed new eyelids and a new nose. His fingers also had to be amputated after the fire.
Free and Ashley Ludlow, a fellow Brigham Young University student, knew the treatments Marius had received weren't enough, so the women formed Team Marius to bring the boy to America. Marius and his brother, Ionut, now live with the Frees in between surgeries and treatments at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Los Angeles.
A benefit concert will be held today at Gilbert High School for Marius. The Shriners pay for his medical care, but renewing visas and paying for travel between Mesa and Los Angeles is costly.
The brothers also may have to go back to Romania during Marius' recovery, which could last until he is 18.
Some of his physical therapy doesn't fall under the hospital's program.
Tickets for the concert featuring country group Due West and LIGHT International Inc., a group of young-adult performers from Gilbert and Mesa, are $10 and $15. Performances are at 2 and 7 p.m. at Gilbert High.
"Seeing the pictures, you just know that you can do this," said Free's mother, Kristin.
"We are blessed with a stable family. I have seven kids. Two more wasn't a big deal."
Free stayed home from college this semester to help care for Marius. Pictures of him before the fire tugged at her heart.
She wanted to do all she could to give the boy she met in a hospital bed in Romania a better life.
Since coming to America, Marius' condition has greatly improved. Doctors gave him new eyelids, and he also will receive a new nose and reconstructive surgery on his hands.
140 year of Shriners
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Navada Proud of Football Shrine Game Players
Five of Nevada County’s finest student athletes were chosen to play in the North/South Shriners Hospital Benefit Football game on Saturday, Nov. 15. The players were from the Nevada Union Junior Miners Midget football team. Kyle Cota,
Jared Cook, Stone Sanders, Cameron Towensend and Tanner Vallejo.
These fine young men spent many hours doing community service to raise thousands of dollars for the hospital.
They would like to thank the community and their families for all the support. What these young men accomplished was nothing short of amazing, not only did they learn what some of the boys and girls have to go through while at Shriners with the burns and bone injuries; they got to see first hand with a tour of the hospital with the
Sacramento State football players.
Nevada County should be so proud of the five young men who truly showed what Nevada County youth student athletes are all about. And, by the way, the north won the game 26-19 way to go junior Miners.
Rick Vallejo
Penn Valley
Jared Cook, Stone Sanders, Cameron Towensend and Tanner Vallejo.
These fine young men spent many hours doing community service to raise thousands of dollars for the hospital.
They would like to thank the community and their families for all the support. What these young men accomplished was nothing short of amazing, not only did they learn what some of the boys and girls have to go through while at Shriners with the burns and bone injuries; they got to see first hand with a tour of the hospital with the
Sacramento State football players.
Nevada County should be so proud of the five young men who truly showed what Nevada County youth student athletes are all about. And, by the way, the north won the game 26-19 way to go junior Miners.
Rick Vallejo
Penn Valley
Thursday, November 27, 2008
25Hours of Thunderhill for Shriners Hospital for Children
Trim-Texm, along with partners Hoosier Tire, and Fall-Line Motorsports will be competing in the National Auto Sports Association’s 25 Hours of Thunderhill in California early next month. This will be a drive for the overall win, as well as a Drive for Charity—teaming up with Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Thunderhill is the longest race held in the United States and due to its running next month, it has been called the “most severe endurance race on the planet.” With more than 14 hours of darkness, and temperatures that can range from below freezing to above 70, coupled with a severe track that has many blind turns and elevation changes, the drive to the finish will be a tough one.
Team Trim-Tex/Hoosier/Fall-Line will have a great driver line-up and team for the “Drive for 25.” The custom-built 2005 BMW M3 will be piloted by long-time motorcycle drag racer Joe Koenig, who recently competed in the SCCA National Championship Runoffs in only his first full year of sports car racing. Joining Joe will be the 2007 SCCA Pro Racing Speed World Challenge Rookie of the Year, Brian Kubinski, who brings GT race experience to the quartet of drivers. The remaining drivers are all experienced endurance racers coming from the Fall-Line Motorsports Grand-Am Koni Challenge team. Steve Jenkins and Mark Boden have been Koni Challenge co-drivers for the past three seasons. With Top ten finishes in pro racing, as well as multiple wins in club racing, Steve and Mark will provide the endurance racing mentality for the team. Rob May (Fall-Line Team manager) will also be suited up for driver duties should the need arise.
This 25-hour-long race will be a grueling test of both man and machine. Every driver and team member will be pledging a per lap donation to Shriners Hospitals for Children. In past years, the overall winners of the race have done approx 650 laps from Green to Checker. The team’s goal for the “Drive for 25” is to raise a minimum of $25,000 for Shriners Hospitals for Children and will graciously accept donations from the public. To make a pledge, please call (773) 622-5400 ext 5623.
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a health care system dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs. Every year, they provide care for thousands of kids with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate in a caring and nurturing family-centered environment at no charge. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, Shriners Hospitals for Children relies on the donations of Shriners and the general public to carry out their mission and change the lives of children every day.
This drive for charity is sponsored by: Kawasaki, Irwin Tools, Diamond Construction, Competition Race Parts, Worldwide Bearings, Chicken Hawk Racing, Autobahn Country Club, Hoosier Tire, Fall-Line Motorsports and Trim-Tex Drywall Products.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
That's our Megan
Thanks to teen's compassion, even prison can't bar kindness
Inmates knit items that are donated to homeless
By HECTOR CASTRO P-I REPORTER
Thursday morning, when most people are likely to be either sleeping or starting early on the day's feast, one teenage volunteer will be out on the cold and empty Seattle streets delivering handmade caps, scarves, gloves and blankets to homeless men and women just as she has for six previous Thanksgivings.
"Sometimes, they are shocked that we are giving these for free," Megan Johnson, 17, said. "Some of them actually cry."
This year, some of the gifts she hands out are coming from an unlikely source -- inmates of the Monroe Correctional Complex.
Tuesday, the Federal Way teenager and her mother, Jill Johnson, were at the prison to collect a donation of 150 hand-knitted caps, all made by inmates working in a small sewing room where shelves are stacked with colorful bolts of cloth and rolls of thread and five sewing machines that date to the 1930s.
Bryan Bechler, a classification counselor for the prison in Monroe, met Megan at a function at Benaroya Hall this summer, where she was a speaker.
Because the work produced by the inmates must be donated, it made sense, he said, to donate their blankets, quilts and other clothing to Megan's efforts.
For inmates who worked on the caps, it means something to them that Megan intends to donate their work to the homeless.
"The important thing is you're doing it for someone else," said Lou DeVincentis, 67, who has sewn several blankets that have been donated.
Another inmate, Alan Guay, 47, began to knit just eight months ago but can now spin out a new hat in about 90 minutes. Guay hasn't met Megan, but through a DVD about her that the inmates were allowed to view, he learned something about her and her charity work.
"We know that she's been through a lot," Guay said.
Megan has several medical challenges, including hemifacial dysplasia, a genetic condition that causes her facial bones to grow at different rates. She has also become blind in one eye. Already, she has endured 26 surgeries to correct problems brought on by these conditions.
Cruel taunts from classmates made grade school tough.
"There was this group of mean girls who would look at me and say, 'Don't you know how ugly you are? If I looked that way, I'd go home and kill myself,' " Megan said.
Megan said the teasing she endured is one reason she chose to help the homeless.
"I know what it's like to be different," she said.
When she was 10, Megan, who began homeschooling after the fourth grade, told her mother she wanted to collect blankets and warm clothes for the homeless.
Jill Johnson said she thinks her daughter was inspired in part by the work of the Shriners, the philanthropic fraternity that operates nonprofit children's hospitals around North America and Hawaii. Megan has been a patient at their Portland hospital since she was 6.
"I thought: 'That's kinda cute. It'll last about a week,' " Johnson recalled of her daughter's intention. "Well, seven years later, here we are."
Megan already has two projects, Kids Helping Kids, which collects children's videos and DVDS for local hospitals, and Megan's Mission, which works to raise money to help the homeless.
She also wrote and illustrated a book, "Clowns Make a Difference," about children in a hospital. Money raised from the book sales go to the Shriners.
In the hundreds of blankets she has donated, Megan always includes a note that reads, "Remember someone cares."
"She hand-writes every single one of them," Jill Johnson said.
Megan's efforts have earned the perpetually cheerful teenager a host of accolades, including the 2002 American Red Cross Hero's Award and the 2004 Washington State Outstanding Youth Philanthropist award.
An avid Girl Scout, Megan said she hopes her work delivering the warm clothing Thanksgiving morning will earn her the Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn.
On Thursday, she said she'll be up by 6 a.m. and, with her family, friends and volunteers who join through their church, hit Seattle's streets by 8 a.m.
Megan will be the one pulling the red wagon.
"I don't know why people think the homeless are evil," she said, "when they're just people like us. We all have feelings."
Visit megansmission.freeservers.com to learn more about Megan and her charitable work.
P-I reporter Hector Castro can be reached at 206-448-8334 or hectorcastro@seattlepi.com.
If you haven't seen the Video on Megan ask you Shrine PR Chairman he can get it for your club or unit to see.
Inmates knit items that are donated to homeless
By HECTOR CASTRO P-I REPORTER
Thursday morning, when most people are likely to be either sleeping or starting early on the day's feast, one teenage volunteer will be out on the cold and empty Seattle streets delivering handmade caps, scarves, gloves and blankets to homeless men and women just as she has for six previous Thanksgivings.
"Sometimes, they are shocked that we are giving these for free," Megan Johnson, 17, said. "Some of them actually cry."
This year, some of the gifts she hands out are coming from an unlikely source -- inmates of the Monroe Correctional Complex.
Tuesday, the Federal Way teenager and her mother, Jill Johnson, were at the prison to collect a donation of 150 hand-knitted caps, all made by inmates working in a small sewing room where shelves are stacked with colorful bolts of cloth and rolls of thread and five sewing machines that date to the 1930s.
Bryan Bechler, a classification counselor for the prison in Monroe, met Megan at a function at Benaroya Hall this summer, where she was a speaker.
Because the work produced by the inmates must be donated, it made sense, he said, to donate their blankets, quilts and other clothing to Megan's efforts.
For inmates who worked on the caps, it means something to them that Megan intends to donate their work to the homeless.
"The important thing is you're doing it for someone else," said Lou DeVincentis, 67, who has sewn several blankets that have been donated.
Another inmate, Alan Guay, 47, began to knit just eight months ago but can now spin out a new hat in about 90 minutes. Guay hasn't met Megan, but through a DVD about her that the inmates were allowed to view, he learned something about her and her charity work.
"We know that she's been through a lot," Guay said.
Megan has several medical challenges, including hemifacial dysplasia, a genetic condition that causes her facial bones to grow at different rates. She has also become blind in one eye. Already, she has endured 26 surgeries to correct problems brought on by these conditions.
Cruel taunts from classmates made grade school tough.
"There was this group of mean girls who would look at me and say, 'Don't you know how ugly you are? If I looked that way, I'd go home and kill myself,' " Megan said.
Megan said the teasing she endured is one reason she chose to help the homeless.
"I know what it's like to be different," she said.
When she was 10, Megan, who began homeschooling after the fourth grade, told her mother she wanted to collect blankets and warm clothes for the homeless.
Jill Johnson said she thinks her daughter was inspired in part by the work of the Shriners, the philanthropic fraternity that operates nonprofit children's hospitals around North America and Hawaii. Megan has been a patient at their Portland hospital since she was 6.
"I thought: 'That's kinda cute. It'll last about a week,' " Johnson recalled of her daughter's intention. "Well, seven years later, here we are."
Megan already has two projects, Kids Helping Kids, which collects children's videos and DVDS for local hospitals, and Megan's Mission, which works to raise money to help the homeless.
She also wrote and illustrated a book, "Clowns Make a Difference," about children in a hospital. Money raised from the book sales go to the Shriners.
In the hundreds of blankets she has donated, Megan always includes a note that reads, "Remember someone cares."
"She hand-writes every single one of them," Jill Johnson said.
Megan's efforts have earned the perpetually cheerful teenager a host of accolades, including the 2002 American Red Cross Hero's Award and the 2004 Washington State Outstanding Youth Philanthropist award.
An avid Girl Scout, Megan said she hopes her work delivering the warm clothing Thanksgiving morning will earn her the Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn.
On Thursday, she said she'll be up by 6 a.m. and, with her family, friends and volunteers who join through their church, hit Seattle's streets by 8 a.m.
Megan will be the one pulling the red wagon.
"I don't know why people think the homeless are evil," she said, "when they're just people like us. We all have feelings."
Visit megansmission.freeservers.com to learn more about Megan and her charitable work.
P-I reporter Hector Castro can be reached at 206-448-8334 or hectorcastro@seattlepi.com.
If you haven't seen the Video on Megan ask you Shrine PR Chairman he can get it for your club or unit to see.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
First Lady of the Republic of Korea, Kim Yoon-ok Visits Shriners Hospitals for Children
Los Angeles, CA – November 24, 2008 by Steve Brand– The First Lady of the Republic of Korea, Kim Yoon-ok, visited Shriners Hospitals for Children in Los Angeles this morning. She and her husband, President Lee Myung-bak, were returning from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit recently completed in Lima, Peru.
First Lady Kim Yoon-ok was especially interested in the Los Angeles Shriners Hospital since approximately 3% of the patients of the hospital come from Korea. While Korea has an excellent medical system, the physicians at Shriners Hospitals are experts in the latest advances in orthopedic, burn reconstruction and cleft lip / palate treatment.
The First Lady was welcomed by Stuart Wright, Chairman of the hospital’s Board of Governors and Terrence Cunningham, hospital administrator. Said Mr. Cunningham, “We are honored by the visit of the First Lady of Korea to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Los Angeles today. We are very proud of our cooperative relationship with the Republic of Korea and look forward to being able to care for more of your children in need of our specialized care.”
After a brief visit with the staff of the hospital, the First Lady toured the facility and then met with the Korean patients currently being cared for by the hospital. She stated, “I’m very glad that I could be here today and am very thankful for the treatment that Shriners Hospitals for Children provides to the children of Korea.
Her visit to the hospital was coordinated by the office of the Consul General of the Republic of Korea and the local Choong Chung Society of Southern California which is located in Los Angeles not far from the hospital. The group supports Korean children during their stay at the hospital.
Shriners Hospitals for Children – Los Angeles information, please visit our website at www.shrinershq.org/shc/losangeles.
First Lady Kim Yoon-ok was especially interested in the Los Angeles Shriners Hospital since approximately 3% of the patients of the hospital come from Korea. While Korea has an excellent medical system, the physicians at Shriners Hospitals are experts in the latest advances in orthopedic, burn reconstruction and cleft lip / palate treatment.
The First Lady was welcomed by Stuart Wright, Chairman of the hospital’s Board of Governors and Terrence Cunningham, hospital administrator. Said Mr. Cunningham, “We are honored by the visit of the First Lady of Korea to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Los Angeles today. We are very proud of our cooperative relationship with the Republic of Korea and look forward to being able to care for more of your children in need of our specialized care.”
After a brief visit with the staff of the hospital, the First Lady toured the facility and then met with the Korean patients currently being cared for by the hospital. She stated, “I’m very glad that I could be here today and am very thankful for the treatment that Shriners Hospitals for Children provides to the children of Korea.
Her visit to the hospital was coordinated by the office of the Consul General of the Republic of Korea and the local Choong Chung Society of Southern California which is located in Los Angeles not far from the hospital. The group supports Korean children during their stay at the hospital.
Shriners Hospitals for Children – Los Angeles information, please visit our website at www.shrinershq.org/shc/losangeles.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Shriners Hospital officials hope to reopen soon
By Bronwyn Turner,Correspondent November 22, 2008
GALVESTON —Shriners Hospital for Children-Galveston should reopen at full capacity by the start of the new year without laying off any employees, officials said.
Rumors of the demise of the nationally known burn treatment center are dead wrong, officials said.
“The message we want to put out is that we were hurt badly, but we are not going away,” said John Swartwout Jr., administrator. “With everything happening to UTMB, we want our folks and the community to know, we’re coming back.”
Swartwout’s comments came during large layoffs of University of Texas Medical Branch employees as the John Sealy Hospital downsizes because of hurricane damage. But the layoffs do not mean closing the medical branch’s burn treatment program or its partnership with Shriners Hospital in treating burned children, Swartwout said.
“The fact that UTMB is downsizing has left many people within Shriners and the community skeptical about whether or not we are coming back,” Swartwout said, speaking by phone from his temporary office in the boardroom of Shriners Hospital for Children in Houston. He referred to the displaced staff and patients there as “a hospital in exile.”
“Well, we are coming back,” he said. “The board of trustees has extended the hazard pay — they call it disaster pay — until Jan. 1. We fully expect to be back and functioning by that date.”
Shriners Hospital for Children-Galveston is one of only four burn specialty units in the Shriners hospital system. It’s ranked among the best pediatric burn hospitals in the world.
The hospital at 815 Market St. in Galveston opened in 1996, guided by Dr. Truman Blocker, a plastic surgeon and burns specialist who established the medical branch’s burn unit. Shriners Hospital contracts with the medical branch for doctors and other medical services.
More than 18,000 children from across the country and the world have been treated in the hospital, which includes an intensive care unit with 15 beds, a reconstruction and plastic surgery unit with 15 beds, three operating rooms, a multi-bed recovery room, clinics and a large outpatient population. The hospital employs 325 people.
In 2007 alone, the hospital recorded 1,557 admissions, 1,602 surgeries, 12,523 in-house clinic visits and 1,296 patients seen in outreach clinics. Patients do not pay.
The hospital’s operating budget of about $34 million comes from an endowment for the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Fast Evacuation
The Galveston hospital was operating at full capacity the week of Sept. 12, when forecasts of Hurricane Ike’s dangers prompted evacuation. Six critically injured patients were flown by chartered Lear jets to a sister hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, accompanied by staff and parents. Several more children were sent to a sister hospital in Shreveport, La., along with parents and staff.
A group of 17 residential outpatients, children who had temporarily moved to Galveston for daily specialized outpatient treatments, were sent to a shelter set up for them at a middle school on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station.
Within 12 hours, by the night of Sept. 11, the evacuation was completed. When Hurricane Ike arrived, a surge of more than two feet of water swept through the first floor of the hospital, and then receded in a matter of hours.
Major utilities were no longer functioning because of water damage. Emergency generators had shut down. Electrical switchgear was underwater. Fire pumps and fire alarms were dead. Medial gas pumps were down.
“So unlike Hurricane Rita, where we turned around and came back in a few days, it became painfully apparent we were not gong to come back any time soon,” Swartwout said.
Evacuated patients were admitted to Shriners Burn Hospitals in Cincinnati and Boston. Residential outpatients were brought from the College Station shelter to Houston Shriners Hospital for Children.
Temporary Location
Many of the Galveston Shriners Hospital staff continue to care for patients in Houston.
Administrative staff is set up in the boardroom. A sign taped on the door reads “Shriners Hospital-Galveston North.”
Weekly “town hall meetings” are held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in La Marque to keep staff updated. A distribution center has been established for employees in need of food, clothing and household items.
“One of the things that surprised me is the spirit of our employees, the spirit of family that our employees have exhibited to one another,” Swartwout said. One group of employees, calling itself Muscles on Demand — the MOD Squad — formed a cleanup crew, helping fellow employees with cleanup and repairs on their homes.
Repairs are continuing in Galveston. The hospital will reopen with the first floor lobby and office area still undergoing remodeling. Treatment facilities are located on upper floors.
“We are all itching to get back to work,” Swartwout said. “All of the things that need to be fixed are in process. It’s complicated, and it takes time.
“But it’s going to happen very soon. I’m fully confident of that.”
GALVESTON —Shriners Hospital for Children-Galveston should reopen at full capacity by the start of the new year without laying off any employees, officials said.
Rumors of the demise of the nationally known burn treatment center are dead wrong, officials said.
“The message we want to put out is that we were hurt badly, but we are not going away,” said John Swartwout Jr., administrator. “With everything happening to UTMB, we want our folks and the community to know, we’re coming back.”
Swartwout’s comments came during large layoffs of University of Texas Medical Branch employees as the John Sealy Hospital downsizes because of hurricane damage. But the layoffs do not mean closing the medical branch’s burn treatment program or its partnership with Shriners Hospital in treating burned children, Swartwout said.
“The fact that UTMB is downsizing has left many people within Shriners and the community skeptical about whether or not we are coming back,” Swartwout said, speaking by phone from his temporary office in the boardroom of Shriners Hospital for Children in Houston. He referred to the displaced staff and patients there as “a hospital in exile.”
“Well, we are coming back,” he said. “The board of trustees has extended the hazard pay — they call it disaster pay — until Jan. 1. We fully expect to be back and functioning by that date.”
Shriners Hospital for Children-Galveston is one of only four burn specialty units in the Shriners hospital system. It’s ranked among the best pediatric burn hospitals in the world.
The hospital at 815 Market St. in Galveston opened in 1996, guided by Dr. Truman Blocker, a plastic surgeon and burns specialist who established the medical branch’s burn unit. Shriners Hospital contracts with the medical branch for doctors and other medical services.
More than 18,000 children from across the country and the world have been treated in the hospital, which includes an intensive care unit with 15 beds, a reconstruction and plastic surgery unit with 15 beds, three operating rooms, a multi-bed recovery room, clinics and a large outpatient population. The hospital employs 325 people.
In 2007 alone, the hospital recorded 1,557 admissions, 1,602 surgeries, 12,523 in-house clinic visits and 1,296 patients seen in outreach clinics. Patients do not pay.
The hospital’s operating budget of about $34 million comes from an endowment for the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Fast Evacuation
The Galveston hospital was operating at full capacity the week of Sept. 12, when forecasts of Hurricane Ike’s dangers prompted evacuation. Six critically injured patients were flown by chartered Lear jets to a sister hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, accompanied by staff and parents. Several more children were sent to a sister hospital in Shreveport, La., along with parents and staff.
A group of 17 residential outpatients, children who had temporarily moved to Galveston for daily specialized outpatient treatments, were sent to a shelter set up for them at a middle school on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station.
Within 12 hours, by the night of Sept. 11, the evacuation was completed. When Hurricane Ike arrived, a surge of more than two feet of water swept through the first floor of the hospital, and then receded in a matter of hours.
Major utilities were no longer functioning because of water damage. Emergency generators had shut down. Electrical switchgear was underwater. Fire pumps and fire alarms were dead. Medial gas pumps were down.
“So unlike Hurricane Rita, where we turned around and came back in a few days, it became painfully apparent we were not gong to come back any time soon,” Swartwout said.
Evacuated patients were admitted to Shriners Burn Hospitals in Cincinnati and Boston. Residential outpatients were brought from the College Station shelter to Houston Shriners Hospital for Children.
Temporary Location
Many of the Galveston Shriners Hospital staff continue to care for patients in Houston.
Administrative staff is set up in the boardroom. A sign taped on the door reads “Shriners Hospital-Galveston North.”
Weekly “town hall meetings” are held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in La Marque to keep staff updated. A distribution center has been established for employees in need of food, clothing and household items.
“One of the things that surprised me is the spirit of our employees, the spirit of family that our employees have exhibited to one another,” Swartwout said. One group of employees, calling itself Muscles on Demand — the MOD Squad — formed a cleanup crew, helping fellow employees with cleanup and repairs on their homes.
Repairs are continuing in Galveston. The hospital will reopen with the first floor lobby and office area still undergoing remodeling. Treatment facilities are located on upper floors.
“We are all itching to get back to work,” Swartwout said. “All of the things that need to be fixed are in process. It’s complicated, and it takes time.
“But it’s going to happen very soon. I’m fully confident of that.”
Friday, November 21, 2008
Saturday vigil to honor slain horses
Invistigation continues over killing of Choctaw and Lucky
A candlight vigil for Choctaw and Lucky, two horses killed on a private Livermore ranch in October, hopes to bring attention to the ongoing investigations for the person(s) responsible.
The East Bay SPCA, Shriners Hospitals for Children and Hoofprints on the Heart host the vigil, which will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday Nov.22 at Robertson Park in Livermore. Hundreds of animal lovers are expected to attend.
A reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved has grown to $20,000. The horses were killed during the night of Oct. 21 while at pasture.
The family who owned Choctaw and Lucky are said to be devastated by the tragic loss.
"Choctaw has spent virtually his entire life performing in parades and charity events, promoting the Shriners Hospitals for Children and Hoofprints on the Heart Adaptive Riding Center for children with special needs," owner Mike Rountree said. "We had rescued Lucky after he had been living in a terrible situation. He had regained his health and was very happy living with his new herd. This was a senseless and brutal crime that caused so much suffering. Our family is shattered by this event."
East Bay SPCA Executive Director Allison Lindquist urged the public to participate in the vigil.
"We call upon everyone to give Lucky and Choctaw a voice," she said. "Those horses gave so much to the community, and we will not rest until the person responsible for taking their lives is identified and prosecuted."
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Scott Sutherland with the Contra Costa County Sherriff's Department at 313-2654.
A candlight vigil for Choctaw and Lucky, two horses killed on a private Livermore ranch in October, hopes to bring attention to the ongoing investigations for the person(s) responsible.
The East Bay SPCA, Shriners Hospitals for Children and Hoofprints on the Heart host the vigil, which will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday Nov.22 at Robertson Park in Livermore. Hundreds of animal lovers are expected to attend.
A reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved has grown to $20,000. The horses were killed during the night of Oct. 21 while at pasture.
The family who owned Choctaw and Lucky are said to be devastated by the tragic loss.
"Choctaw has spent virtually his entire life performing in parades and charity events, promoting the Shriners Hospitals for Children and Hoofprints on the Heart Adaptive Riding Center for children with special needs," owner Mike Rountree said. "We had rescued Lucky after he had been living in a terrible situation. He had regained his health and was very happy living with his new herd. This was a senseless and brutal crime that caused so much suffering. Our family is shattered by this event."
East Bay SPCA Executive Director Allison Lindquist urged the public to participate in the vigil.
"We call upon everyone to give Lucky and Choctaw a voice," she said. "Those horses gave so much to the community, and we will not rest until the person responsible for taking their lives is identified and prosecuted."
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Scott Sutherland with the Contra Costa County Sherriff's Department at 313-2654.
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