Ridpath Benefit Raises $2,850

Wed., March 6, 1996

From Staff And Wire Reports

A luncheon benefit for families of the victims of the Ridpath shooting raised $2,580 on Monday.

Organizers expect the total to climb above $3,000 by the end of the week.

“It was really gratifying to see how many people braved the snow,” said Martha Lou Wheatley of the Spokane Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The 168 people who attended the lunch paid $15 a plate. Half of that will be contributed to the families of Marie Van Slate and Ronald MacDonald.

Van Slate was killed in the Feb. 6 shooting at the Silver Grill, the restaurant where she worked as a waitress. Restaurant manager MacDonald survived the shooting.

Some of the people who attended the luncheon, at the Silver Grill, also handed Wheatley checks to be donated to the victims’ families. City Council member Roberta Greene handed her a $50 bill.

“We were receiving some absolutely wonderful support,” Wheatley said.

, DataTimes

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