A Plea for Help - Part III

It is with great sadness in my heart that I begin this message. Last night, my brother-in-law passed away at the young age of 49. He left behind my sister and my four nieces, as I wrote about 3 weeks ago.

By now, you may have heard about the benefit we're having this Friday on the radio, television, or the newspaper. The outpouring of support by my friends, customers, and associates has been simply amazing. All I can say is THANK YOU.

It's going to be a difficult week, but one that we will manage. It's amazing to me how the human spirit can rally together to turn a negative event into a positive one. That's all we can do -- support each other in times of need.

My daughter, who is five years old, decided to sell lemonade tonight with a friend to raise funds for the benefit. I'm not sure she really understood what she was doing or why she was doing it, but she managed to raise over $130. People can be so kind and giving even in a tough economy.

I hope to see many of you at the benefit on Friday night. Unfortunately, we will lay Bruce to rest at 10am that morning, but maybe he wanted it that way. He wouldn't want us to mourn for too long, so I guess we're throwing a party in his honor. It's a shame that he can't be there to personally thank all of you, but I know that he'll be looking down and smiling at all that we've done for his children.

God bless you, Bruce; you'll be missed.