Here's the complete message from Evelyn Richer I should have posted this morning, but I missed part of the message - my error and I apologize. Here's the whole thing:

I have wanted to send you this announcement now for a couple of days… but I think I finally have permission to share this sad news… our dear friends and neighbors, Lorraine and Phil Porter (here on Sandy Beach Road) found out over the Fourth of July… after their son and family moved back to Vermont from Florida, that their son's youngest child Zachary, who is six years old, has leukemia… what a devastating blow to the family! They had plans of starting to build their new house right away in Danville and to enroll Zachary in Danville Elementary School for this fall… but instead the house building plans are on hold and they have been spending this month at Fletcher Allen in Burlington. Stephanie~ Zach’s mom, is staying at the Ronald McDonald House, while Zach undergoes his first round of chemo… Jimmy (Zach’s father~ Phil and Lorraine’s son) is working at Home Depot in Littleton and living in their fifth-wheeler until they all can move into a home in St. Jay that has been donated to them for as long as they need it.

Naturally our heart is broken for them all… soooo….

Back to the reason for my posting… Ray has been asked for several years now, to give a loon presentation locally.. (The last one was about 9 years ago)… so on August 14^th at 7pm at the Danville School Auditorium we will have a Zachary Porter Benefit Show… it is called “Another Miracle in the Marsh” and will feature some unusual shots of the loons during their breeding season… (Including rare egg laying shots!) There will be a question and answer session following the show and there will be several framed photos up for auction and raffles too… there is an admission fee of $5.00 (children under 12 get in for free)… ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO ZACHARY’S FAMILY to help with their extreme expenses for fuel to travel back and forth to Burlington for Zach’s chemo… and for other related expenses… (There will be an opportunity to make a monetary donation if you so desire)

Phil Porter, Zach’s grandfather, has been a ‘Joe’s Ponder’ since 1945… and Jimmy was born in Vermont and was taken from Vermont to serve our country in the military… but now after many years he wants to raise his son back home in this area… Since the news has ‘leaked out’, everyone has been so generous and supportive; they are very overwhelmed… but we know that they haven’t seen anything yet… once the community rallies around them they will be just fine…

We ask that everyone mark their calendars and come out on Thursday the 14^th of August to show their support for this family as they face some monumental challenges in the months ahead… We ask that you bring the ‘big’ checkbook to the show… but most of all we ask for many prayers for Zach J

Thank you Jane for posting this notice… Blessings, Evelyn and Ray