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Scroll down for some early photos from the Family Fun Day. Joel is the 18 year old son of Jim and Jan Herzberg of Villisca and suffered a brain injury in a skiing accident on January 2. He is making great progress but remains in a recovery facility. Pictured here is Joel with speech classmates and teacher Melissa Feilmeier. |
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From the 3/16/09 Edition of the Villisca Review Stanton Viking: Often, when our lives are touched with trauma, the support and generosity of family, friends and neighbors is overwhelming. The endless offers of assistance epitomize humanity in its most genuine form. What can we do? How may we help? These are questions all too familiar to the family of Jim and Jan Herzberg. Typically they are on the offering end, not the receiving. After their son, Joel, suffered injuries in a snowboarding accident in December, friends and family took it upon themselves to give to those who have given. Meeting in the home of Jerry and Carolyn Fisher, the night of February 4th, were Mark Focht, Mark and Dawnette Herzberg, Vince and Becky Dolch, Bill and Diane Shipley, Steve and Jodi Haer, Jason and Darci Poston and Shona Means. Together, they began to orchestrate a benefit to aid with the exorbitant medical expenses for the family. It was their highest hope to possibly raise $20,000 - the outcome superseded everyone's wildest expectations. At the day's end, over $51,000 was raised from Saturday's event, less an estimated $3000 to cover expenses. We do not live in a booming metropolis with tens of thousands of residents to use as a resource pool for volunteer efforts making the numbers for the Joel Herzberg Family Fun Day simply staggering. Held in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce Easter Egg Hunt, the turnout was unfathomable. Two hundred eighty-eight
walkers/runners participated in the 8 a.m. 5K/10K. Some were of local
origin; others from throughout the state and some were in town from
Vermont, New Hampshire and Arizona. Crowds perused among table after table in the school's media center making silent bids on one hundred eighty donated items. Later in the evening
live bidding began as eighty items were put on the auction block. In mid-February,
a fund on Joel's behalf was established. If you would like to donate
to the fund, you may direct checks to the Joel Herzberg Benefit Fund,
c/o Bank Iowa, 300 South 3rd Avenue, P.O. Box 46, Villisca, Iowa 50864.
click here for a pfd of page 12 of the same issue of the Review. It has pictures from Saturday, April 11 both of the Fun Day and of the Chamber Easter Egg Hunt |
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JOEL
HERZBERG FAMILY FUN DAY
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Joel Herzberg
Family Fun Day
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Runners from near and far participated in the Joel Herzberg Run on Saturday, April 11. Here Carolyn Labin (left) from Collingswood, New Jersey, and Melissa Weinstein from North Hyde Park, Vermont, pass through the intersection at the northwest corner of City Park as they participate in the 10K race. The runners, a granddaughter-in-law and a granddaughter of Buzz and Elaine Artlip, were visiting Villisca with their families for the holiday weekend and decided to take part in the race. |
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The Villisca community and the Herzberg family are grateful for the kindness that has been shown from area schools and communities. Not only his immediate family has shown support, but also his community and Corner Conference “families”. It is wonderful to see all of Southwest Iowa pull together and show support for Joel. The Herzberg family has agreed to a one-time fundraising event in hopes that all organizations that want to be involved can all work together. The Joel Herzberg Family Fun Day will be held April 11, 2009. This is Easter weekend and we hope lots of families will get involved in the many planned activities. The tenetive schedule follows. Other events are in the planning stages. Any individual,
group, organization or business wanting to donate food, auction items,
or volunteer to work, please contact one of the following committee
members: Shona and Clint Means 826-2526; Dawnette and Mark Herzberg
785-3239; Diane and Bill Shipley 785-3260; Mark Focht 829-2460; Becky
and Vince Dolch 826-8161; Darci and Jason Poston 826-3120; Jodi and
Steve Haer 826-9512; or Carolyn and Jerry Fisher 826-3122. Donated
items for the auction may be taken to City Hall in Villisca. If you
are unable to attend but would like to show your support, checks may
be mailed to Joel Herzberg Benefit Fund, % Bank Iowa, 300 South 3rd
Avenue, P.O. Box 46, Villisca, Iowa 50864. Supplemental funds. up
to $1000 by Thrivent Financial #30558. |
