Community supports victims' families

During the past two weeks, family members and friends of the four men killed in Herkimer have mourned the lives lost in the tragic shootings. But amidst that sadness, the community wanted to do something to show their support. Our Cara Thomas went to the village of Mohawk where hundreds of people filled the American Legion with that idea in mind.

'); if(infobox=='True' && ShowInfoBox_l650393_1==false){ jQuery("#player_infobarl650393_1").trigger('click'); ShowInfoBox_l650393_1==true; } }; if (true) { $.setup_player(Play_Conf); } //info bar setup jQuery('#player_infobarl650393_1').click(function() { var $info =jQuery('#player_info_contentl650393_1'); if($info.text()!=''){ var $content = jQuery('div',$info); //min heigth var min = $content.css('min-height'); var max = $content.css('max-height'); $info.slideToggle(600); ShowInfoBox_l650393_1=!ShowInfoBox_l650393_1; } }); });

? To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

MOHAWK--When tragedy and sorrow struck Herkimer County two weeks ago, community members knew from the beginning that there would be an abundance of support for the four victims' families.

"They're my neighbors. They're my friends. They live next door. And I don't care if you live in small town USA or the biggest city in the world, these things are happening today," said Ed View, a co-organizer of Sunday's benefit.

But no one, especially the family members, were expecting anything quite like this.

Louis Veazy, Mike Renshaw's future mother-in-law, said "I didn't think it would be that big but I know his own personal friends said it is going to be big on his behalf, but when you tie everything in together. It is, I think it's bigger than the Boilermaker I think to some degree."

In just a few days, volunteers pulled together a Love and Compassion Benefit, with enough food to feed an army and live bands playing all day long.

The community support exceeded all expectations so much so that a second venue was used just for the silent auction.

"People have given us items from oh let's say $50 up to $1,500 items. And there's at least 600 items and I think there's 200 certificates....I've never been involved in anything of this multitude you know," said View.

All the money donated towards the Love and Compassion Benefit will be given to the victims' families. Organizers said they expect the gifts to be fairly large, since thousands of dollars have already been donated even before Sunday's event began.

"I'd like to say thank you very much for everything you have done for our children, other families. I don't know how to exactly put it into words, but it's really appreciated," said Veazy.

Organizers of the event said they're expecting to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the families. They'll be accepting donations for another two weeks.

To donate, send checks to:
Adirondack Bank
c/o Love and Compassion Benefit
PO Box 590
Herkimer, NY 13350

Source: http://utica-mohawkvalley.ynn.com/content/top_stories/650393/community-supports-victims--families

ncaa brackets 2012 odd lamar d antoni fashion star andrew bird lizzie borden