**The following post was primarily written by my friend, Angi. She composed this in a way I could not have. Full credit is given to her for the words below-- I did edit the email address to reflect mine. Thank you for reading!**
Dear Friends,
My blog is not typically a very serious blog, so I hope that you can realize the seriousness of this post.
The family of a dear friend of mine was involved in a very tragic airplane crash on June 24, 2011. You can read the news stories here, here, and here. I highly suggest you read them.
In the crash, Maria's mother Kim, and father Stephen, both died, and her 16-year-old brother AJ was critically injured. At this time he is still in a medically induced coma. Maria and her husband, Jason, sister Brittnee, and brother Austin are all undoubtedly in a great deal of pain. Maria is due to give birth to her first child at Christmastime.
It is a miracle that AJ survived this plane crash, but it is even more unbelievable to know that this is the second plane crash he has survived.
I personally, am at a loss for what to do, or even where to start. I don't really even know how to write this post.
I've been brainstorming with Allison on how to help them out, and we want to help in any way we can.
We felt that doing a gift card drive would be the best route for us to go. I would hate to inconvenience anyone by causing them to sit around and wait for us to deliver meals, so if we were to get them gift cards to specific restaurants, grocery stores, or even Visa gift cards, they could make their own decisions about what they would like to eat.
I understand that asking for donations via the internet can be sketchy at best, especially since most of you don't know me, but I need to get this out there anyway, in the event that you can and want to help.
We know that we cannot take away their pain, but if we can bring even a small amount of comfort to them by showing we care, that is what we intend to do.
If you are interested in helping, please contact me by email at alli.bulmahn @ gmail (dot) com, and I can get you the details of where to mail your donation to. If you feel negatively about our collection, please keep your thoughts to yourself, as we are only trying to help and be positive.
We will collect as long as you want to donate. Please, read the news stories and try to imagine how you would feel, and how much you would appreciate the help.
Thank you,
Angi & Allison
My blog is not typically a very serious blog, so I hope that you can realize the seriousness of this post.
 |
| Maria, Stephen, and Kim Hatch Photo credit: Maria - Facebook |
In the crash, Maria's mother Kim, and father Stephen, both died, and her 16-year-old brother AJ was critically injured. At this time he is still in a medically induced coma. Maria and her husband, Jason, sister Brittnee, and brother Austin are all undoubtedly in a great deal of pain. Maria is due to give birth to her first child at Christmastime.
It is a miracle that AJ survived this plane crash, but it is even more unbelievable to know that this is the second plane crash he has survived.
I personally, am at a loss for what to do, or even where to start. I don't really even know how to write this post.
I've been brainstorming with Allison on how to help them out, and we want to help in any way we can.
 |
| Kim and Stephen Hatch Photo credit: Maria - Facebook |
I understand that asking for donations via the internet can be sketchy at best, especially since most of you don't know me, but I need to get this out there anyway, in the event that you can and want to help.
We know that we cannot take away their pain, but if we can bring even a small amount of comfort to them by showing we care, that is what we intend to do.
 |
| Kim, Stephen, AJ, and Maria Hatch Photo credit: Maria - Facebook |
We will collect as long as you want to donate. Please, read the news stories and try to imagine how you would feel, and how much you would appreciate the help.
Thank you,
Angi & Allison
**Update June 27, 2011**
Dear Friends,
We understand that there may be many of you that would love to give but are hesitant due to not knowing us and the increased number of internet scams. So, Angi and I are currently in the process of finding out if their local church and/or school has set up a memorial fund yet. If not, we will find a way to get one in place for the family.
We are still collecting gift cards for the family and would appreciate any donation you can and are willing to give. We will hand deliver these to Maria.
If you do not know us are you are wanting to give but are hesitant because of that fact, please check back periodically for the memorial donation information.
Thank you in advance for your donations and thank you again for your continued prayers for the Hatch/Neal family!
Sincerely,
Allison and Angi
