11.9.06

With so many people interested in helping out Savanna here is an opportunity...
I mentioned the plaques that Barney and Brian collaborated on, so here they are. The first is a picture of the artwork that is fixed on the plaques. The plaques are again pieces of slate that have been removed from the well on the Gierer property in Warrenton, MO. For those of you that are not familiar with the Gierers or Warrenton let me tell you a little about it. Warrenton is where the Gierer family lives. Correct me if I am wrong, but there are 12 brothers and sisters. Bridey is one of the 12 and Savanna is her granddaughter. The house where the kids grew up is an amazingly warm place that has seen many family get togethers, weddings, holidays, and just weekend trips to the country. The photo on the right is the house I am speaking of. You can see a little bit of the well the slate pieces were taken from, it is on the left hand side of the photo behind the tree and swing set. (You can click on the picture to enlarge it some.) Like I mentioned before the well is circa 1930, and for sometime was used as a water source.

The picture on the plaques is a water color done by Brian Gardner, Bridey's brother-in-law. Barney then presented a photocopy of the painting on the slate pieces taken from the well with an archival fixative. There is also a UV protectant on top to prevent fading. Barney then drilled two holes on the top of the pieces and tied with a leather cord, so that the pieces can be hung on a wall. There are various sizes of plaques. The one we have at our house is approximately 8"x14" and is one of the smaller pieces. There is a suggested donation of $100-$200 to receive a plaque. The donation cost is not set in stone (no pun intended), so if you would like one of the plaques but are not able to donate as much, the cost can be stretched a bit. And of course if you would just like to donate and are not concerned with getting a plaque that is definitely okay.

I spoke to Bridey this evening and she will be going to the bank to set up a charitable fund that will be able to be used to help with the costs incurred during Savanna's care. Right now some people have already made personal checks out to Bridey, but for anyone that would rather donate to a charitable fund one will be set up hopefully in the next week. We are hoping that the money in the fund will help with healthcare costs, but also any financial burdens they come upon with Bree being unable to work after Savanna receives her transplant.

Speaking of her transplant, Savanna is on the top of the list for the Eastern seaboard and also the top of the list for the US. **I am almost positive this is what Bridey told me, but if anyone has heard differently, let me know** Bridey also told me that Bree is very satisfied with the care that Savanna is receiving now that they are in Pittsburgh.

A few of you have also asked if there is anything that can be sent to them to maybe make them feel more at home. Well Bridey just said that she wants everyone up there, but because that isn't possible, we are trying to think of other things. One little thing that us knit night ladies will be doing is sending her all of our little scraps of yarn that I normally find all over the house after knit night, it may sound goofy, but it's these little things that I think will really help. So anything like that, any little memento that you think would make them feel more comfortable would be much appreciated, and obviously just a call or card is perfect too.