NYT/AP: Amish Shooting Donations Top $3 Million: Update on survivors

[DeepModem Mom]

Amish Shooting Donations Top $3 Million
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 20, 2006

NICKEL MINES, Pa. (AP) -- Three of the five girls wounded during a massacre in an Amish schoolhouse last month are back in school at least part time, and more than $3.2 million has been donated to help the survivors, a community group said Monday.

Two of the girls recovering from lung, abdomen, face and leg wounds still need extensive reconstructive surgery and are attending classes part time, the Nickel Mines Accountability Committee said. Some of the donated money will pay to make their homes and a new school that will be built handicapped-accessible, the group said.

One of the two girls who suffered severe head wounds remains in the hospital, but shows ''remarkable improvement'' and should be released by Christmas, the committee said. The other girl is home but semicomatose and likely will have lifelong disabilities.

The fifth girl is attending classes full time and is expected to fully recover from injuries to her shoulder, hand and leg, the committee said....

***

The donations will also be used for medical expenses, long-term care, counseling and transportation, the committee said. The group added it has been in contact with Roberts' widow, Marie, ''to make sure adequate support is available'' for her and their three children.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Amish-School-Shooting.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[bigworld]

1. Good news

Well that's as good as can be expected I suppose. I wish our local (Lancaster PA) paper was as diligent in following up on this story as the national media.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. making sure the shooters family is supported too...

Faux Christians need to take a clue from this group.

[jwirr]

3. I would be interested in what these humble, beautiful people

decide to spend this amount of money on.

[carla]

5. from the article

The donations will also be used for medical expenses, long-term care, counseling and transportation, the committee said. The group added it has been in contact with Roberts' widow, Marie, ''to make sure adequate support is available'' for her and their three children.

[Vidar]

4. Glad to hear it.

[WePurrsevere]

6. Thanks for posting this. I've been wondering how they were doing and

think of them every time we see one of our local Amish.

Although $3 million sounds like it's a LOT of money it truly isn't when you factor in that: there are 5 girls with various injuries, all have been hospitalized for a time, two will need re-constructive surgery and one is semi-comatose and will likely have life long disabilities (and need life long care) PLUS the costs of making their homes and the new school accessible PLUS factor in any support (counseling possibly) the killers family may need.

If you've had medical care, been hospitalized, had medications and physical &/or psych therapy, built a ramp & made a home accessible, you know none of it is cheap and it sure adds up very fast (which is why so many Americans don't get the care/assistance they need & the need for a good national health care of some type is so important).

Hopefully all of these victims will pull through and be able to live their lives as fully as they would want to.

[gauguin57]

7. The support for the shooter's family has been amazing ...

... For example ... I read in the Lancaster papers recently that local high school kids were going as a group to the shooter's son's soccer games to cheer him on, showing him he had support from the community.