Special to the Times Vedette
You are invited to spend Father’s Day morning enjoying eggs, sausage, pancakes and drinks at the annual Tori’s Angels free-will offering breakfast benefit and silent auction on Sunday, June 16 at the Panora Community Center from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The annual breakfast celebrates the foundation’s first breakfast in 2010 for then-5-year-old Tori Heckman, who desperately needed heart surgery in Boston. The subsequent foundation was named for the 800 attendees who so generously donated money for Tori’s surgery and proved themselves to be one of Tori’s Angels.
Since that first breakfast, the foundation has accepted more than 150 children with life-threatening illnesses and currently supports more than 115 children across Iowa. Nine of the foundation’s currently sponsored children reside or have resided in Guthrie County and will be honored at the event.
- Tori Heckman of Panora is the foundation’s namesake.
- Emma Reinhart of Panora has completed treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, as has Emma King of Coon Rapids.
- Finley Jesko of Guthrie Center has been treated for pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.
- Grace Webner of Panora has been treated for Stage III Hodgkins Lymphoma.
- Sammy Beal now lives in Greenfield and has been treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
- Ayden Wood of Menlo is being treated for a rare disease, CTX.
- Libbie Ashworth of Panora is undergoing treatment for colorectal cancer.
- Aroyal McGregory of Panora is being treated for anoxic brain injury suffered at birth.
All the foundation’s sponsored families have been invited to this annual benefit and may attend, depending on their child’s health.
The silent auction will end at noon and features several one-of-a-kind items donated by local businesses and individuals. Winning bidders are urged to be present at noon to claim their items.
Donations are needed to help the foundation’s sponsored children. Anyone wishing to donate to the silent auction can contact John Coons at 641-757-0971 (Panora) or jccltd@netins.net. Guthrie Center residents can contact Lodema Pryor-Myers at berkclerk@aol.com.
The foundation raises funds to help the families of their supported children with life-threatening medical conditions. Tori’s Angels pays medical expenses not covered by insurance from the date of sponsorship until the child’s 19thbirthday. This includes travel expenses to treatment (airfare, mileage, hotel, meals), as well as prescriptions, medical co-pays and deductibles. The foundation depends on the generosity of community “angels” to help relieve the financial burden for these families.
Anyone who is unable to attend the benefit and wishes to help Tori’s Angels children is invited to send donations to Tori’s Angels at P.O. Box 186, Panora IA 50216. Online donation options are located on the foundation’s website, www.torisangels.org and on Facebook, www.facebook/torisangels. Supporters are encouraged to follow the Tori’s Angels Facebook page to receive regular updates on the children.
For more information about Tori’s Angels, check the foundation’s website. To request an application for support, contact the foundation through its website or by calling 641-755-2011.