Lim family fundraiser draws 900 supporters

For the organizers of the Feb. 2 Jovee Lim Spaghetti Feed and Auction in Deer Park, the biblical miracle of the loaves and fishes has new meaning. “We’d planned to feed 500,” said Beth Oiland. “We ended up feeding close to 900 and had leftovers!”

On a frigid winter night the line of those waiting to attend the dinner stretched halfway around Arcadia Elementary School. “The cooks told my husband we were running out of bread at one point,” Oiland said. “But we never ran out.”

Ty and Jeannine Lim’s daughter, Jovee, 20 months, was recently diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma cancer. The family will be traveling this month to Seattle where Jovee will undergo intense chemotherapy and surgery to remove a tumor in her chest. The event was held to raise funds for the Lim family’s upcoming trip to Seattle, and to cover the costs of their extended stay.

“For a town of 3,000 people, we had such a great turnout,” said fellow organizer Jeannine Carter. Carter, a youth leader for the Deer Park LDS church, said the Latter-day Saints youth group was integral to the fundraiser’s success. “They hit the pavement soliciting auction donations from local businesses,” she said. “We couldn’t have done without them.”

The event raised close to $30,000. “I am just so humbled,” Ty Lim said. “For a moment our tears of helplessness were replaced by tears of joy. A million thank-yous wouldn’t be enough.”