Together, we made a difference for a good man

To the Editor:

Saturday afternoon, family, friends, and supporters came together as not just a community but as a family, if only for the afternoon, for Ken Fortuin.  While the fund-raiser's time was scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m., people began arriving before one and continued to arrive right up until almost five. 

There were some people who stopped by to just make a monetary donation (some not even knowing Ken but heard that he is a good man), while many, many others stayed for the duration.  I was just completely amazed at the sheer number of people that kept coming and coming and coming.  There was sharing of stories, laughter, and some tears.  Together, we were able to make a difference for a good man. 

I want to thank everyone who came out for the event, donated items for the drawings, made monetary contributions, helped organize the event, and worked their butts off to raise as much money as possible for Ken's legal defense fund.

Our thanks go to Lil Richie Gaige for the contribution of the pig for the pig-roast pulled pork — that was absolutely delicious!

A gigantic thank-you to Chris and Amanda at the Maple Inn for opening their doors to us for this event without hesitation — you were awesome and we could not have done this without you. 

Many thanks to Tom and Mary Ellen Nagengast for providing music for the afternoon. 

Thank you to Stephanie for all of her work creating the Facebook page, getting information out onto the page, creating flyers, and driving all over creation to put them up — you really got the word out there for the event — thank you!

A huge thanks to my daughter, Sarah, and my son's girlfriend, Tiffany. The three of us spent countless hours over the past two weeks going over details again and again to ensure we didn't forget anything. They also helped me make the food by preparing salads and baking the hams, and they totally rocked selling the 50/50 and drawing tickets.

Thank you to everyone who made appetizers, baked, or brought some other food item. Our thanks to Ken's family for their support and assistance, especially when "the best laid plans" sometimes got a bit rocky.

And, last but certainly not least, as my daughter said, the gold star for this event went to Kelly. She walked in and took up the challenge of selling the chances for the larger items donated and didn't waiver one bit — and, she barely knows Ken!

If I've forgotten to mention anyone, thank you for whatever you did! This successful event was a team effort, which included not only the organizers but also everyone that supported this effort.

Please know that our fund-raising efforts were phenomenal — more than we could ever have imagined or anticipated.  We are completely overwhelmed by your generosity. 

The funds raised Saturday will do much to defray Ken's legal expenses.  We want to thank the entire Hilltown community and beyond for being there for one of our very own.   Without all of you, Saturday's results would not have been possible. Thank you so very, very much, everyone!

Cheryl Frantzen
Knox

Editor’s note: Cheryl Frantzen, who organized the event, estimates that over 200 people attended. Asked how much was raised, she answered, “We are not disclosing the exact amount raised at this time although I can say it was a generous crowd of supporters.”

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