Please Read and Help If You Can

I don't know these people, only through the blogoshere because of a friend's link on her blog. I have been a quiet lurker on this blog, and if you've ever read it at all, or her sister's blog recently, there is no way you could walk away unaffected by the terrible tragedy that struck their family recently. Because of that, I am passing along the contents of an email I received in hopes that it will help get the word out a little more:

We have some friends who were horribly injured in a plane crash this month, and we are joining forces with a number of others who are trying to raise funds to help them and their family of four small children as they go embark on many months of intensive trauma treatments, surgeries, and recovery in a burn center in Phoenix. The children are currently living in Provo with family while Stephanie and Christian remain in the hospital. To read about the situation, click this link: http://www.reachelandrew.com/NieRecovery/Home.html (Stephanie often is referred to online as Nie Nie, which combines her names: StephaNIE NIElson -- you can read her own blog at http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/ .)

My friend Gabby writes a blog called Designmom (http://designmom.com - named by The Wall Street Journal as one of the top 3 Motherhood Blogs) which is read worldwide, and Gabby has declared tomorrow, Thursday August 28th, Nie Nie Day. Many people will be hosting an online auction with all proceeds going to the Nielsons' Recovery Fund. Please consider going to the DesignMom website tomorrow for links to these auctions to see if anything strikes your fancy as something on which you'd like to bid. The individual auctions are run independently, so you'll have to check to see how long each auction will run. (As for myself, I am auctioning off a giftcard for the salon/spa where I worked last year, and as most of you live out of state you should know that the girftcard is only good at the location in Orem, Utah.)

We are praying that you will want to get involved in this as well as other fundraising efforts for this beautiful family in need. Many auctions of crafts and services around the Web will begin tomorrow, Thursday, August 28th, 2008.

Hug your family members a little more tightly tonight, and let them know you love them.

I checked out the DesignMom website just now, and over 90 bloggers will be hosting an online auction! I'm sure there is something that would interest you. So please, take a few minutes tomorrow, and with a grateful and generous heart consider helping this family in need.