Benefit planned for 9-year-old burn victim
Friends come in all shapes and sizes. That’s what 9-year-old Amber Newton has learned since she was seriously burned in a home accident on Jan. 19. Amber’s latest friend to step forward is Terry Shepherd, owner of Terry’s Cafe in Bayview – someone she doesn’t even know. Shepherd is planning a benefit meal and raffle for Father’s Day, and plans to give all proceeds to Amber.
Shepherd acknowledges she has never met Amber, but says she has been thinking about holding a benefit since she first heard about the accident. “A little girl came in and told me about her (Amber), and it just broke my heart,” she said. Shepherd says she is holding the benefit dinner on Father’s Day because it will be “a good time for kids to take their father out, and a great time for fathers to support another kid.”
The meal will begin at 1 p.m. and continue through the afternoon, according to Shepherd, who says the benefit will take place, “no matter what the weather.” The meal will include a one-third pound hamburger and her special homemade potato salad. With outdoor seating, a beautiful view and a hot summer day, Shepherd hopes to attract a crowd.
The raffle will be held later in the day, with raffle items including a 10,000 BTU air conditioner, donated by Shepherd, and 15 yards of gravel (worth $250) to be delivered free to anyplace within 50 miles of Bayview. Dozens of other quality items including a gas fireplace, another five yards of gravel and some gift certificates will also be raffled.
Cost of the dinner is $6.75 and raffle tickets sell for $1 each or 6 for $5, 14 for $10 or 30 for $20. Winners do not need to be present to win. Tickets can be purchased at the cafe, at the American Legion in Athol and at Pleasant Land Books & Espresso in Rathdrum.
Shepherd is continuing to seek quality raffle items and is looking for others in the community who are willing to sell raffle tickets. For more information, or to make arrangements to drop off donations or sell tickets, contact Shepherd at 683-9005. Terry’s Cafe is at 34250 N. Main Ave. in Bayview, just across from JD’s Resort.
Amber is back at home and will finish out the school year with her third-grade class after spending several months at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle recovering from burns she received after she stepped too close to the family’s gas stove last winter. The spunky little girl’s positive attitude amazed those around her as she suffered through the painful process of healing and multiple skin-graft operations performed to cover the second- and third-degree burns that covered 50 percent of her body.
Shepherd’s benefit follows months of community support for Amber and her family in the form of cards, letters, stuffed animals and donations. A raffle in March and a penny drive in April, plus other donations, have resulted in more than $12,000 in donations to the family. The penny drive was held at John Brown Elementary School in memory of Blake Web, a seventh-grader who died a year ago from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident. His family began the fundraiser to help another family touched by tragedy. The penny drive raised $8,360.27 – that’s a lot of pennies. That’s a lot of friends.
Youth Fishing Derby
Hey kids, it’s time to drown those worms again down at the creek in City Park. The fifth annual Rathdrum Youth Fishing Derby will be held this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The city of Rathdrum Parks and Recreation Department and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game are sponsoring the event and representatives will be on hand to help kids ages 2 to 16 with baiting hooks, casting and even removing the hooks from fish.
Parks and Recreation Director Lance Bridges says Rathdrum’s mayor, Vic Holmes, will be on hand to help clean the fish, and members of the Royal Neighbors will help with registration. He says the free half-day event gives kids the chance to go fishing, get helpful hints from experienced anglers and maybe even win a prize. Each year the derby attracts hundreds of excited kids and their parents.
City workers will dam the creek in City Park to create a temporary home for 800-plus trout the Department of Fish and Game will deliver in time for the event. And by the time the kids arrive, the fish will be hungry enough to bite at anything. “Each kid is guaranteed to catch two whopping fish out there,” said Bridges. “And each fish is at least 10 to 12 inches long.”
Register at the Rathdrum Parks and Recreation Department, 7851 Main St., Rathdrum, until 4 p.m. on Friday or at 8:30 a.m. at the park on the day of the event. For more information, call 687-2399.