KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Here’s the latest weekly update on the Ewart Family. In the early morning on Tuesday, December 20th, fire destroyed their Valencia home. Six family members were in the house at the time, three were seriously injured and sent to the Grossman Burn Center. David and Michael Ewart were in the most serious condition. David was the final family member to be released from the Grossman Burn Center, weeks after the fire. Since the fire, our Valley has jumped in to assist as the Ewart’s recover. This is the latest update courtesy of neighbors, Josy and Steve Block.
MICHAEL continues to struggle with open spots on his back (although they are getting smaller and less frequent) and continued scarring and tightening of the skin, especially on his arms, hands and shoulders. He is working hard in physical therapy to try and fight against this, but not much progress is happening. He hopes to be able to wear his pressure garments next week, which hopefully will help the situation by keeping the scars down and the skin softer. He continues to go to occupational therapy in Burbank 3 times a week and physical therapy locally at Vargo twice a week. He saw a pulmonologist last week to see how his lungs are doing. The doctor said his lungs didn’t sound too bad and was optimistic about his lungs healing well due to his age. He has ordered a chest x-ray and a full lung function test on April 15. They will then return to his office on Aprils 20th to find out the results of the tests, so they’ll have a better idea then how his lungs are healing. Michael had a very rough time traveling to Tucson. He was sick most of the trip and they had to cut their time at the game short and were unable to see Jerry Owens a second time as planned. Because of this, Michael will not be traveling to Portland with Jonathan and Heather over spring break. He really does not feel up to it or feel comfortable away from home (and his 24-hour nurse) yet. They are hoping that the weather will cooperate soon so that they can start heating their pool & Michael can start swimming. It will be good therapy for him physically and emotionally. He is still determined to swim this summer for the neighborhood swim team!
DAVID continues to work hard at his physical therapy sessions at Vargo Physical Therapy. Yesterday (Thursday 4/6/06), David began moving furniture into his rental home. He will not be taking physical possession of the home until around mid-month, but wanted to get everything set-up prior to Spring Break, so that when they (David, Heather & Jonathan) return from Oregon the house should be more-or-less "ready" to move in. They will be spending their Spring Break with Hugh & Essie.
* Thank you to the Bauer family for donating a DVD player to the Ewarts new Rental home. They are most appreciative of your kindness, and will enjoy spending many "family hours of togetherness" enjoying some entertaining shows together.
* Thanks go out to the Magazine of Santa Clarita for their continued coverage of the Ewarts. In the April edition you can find the story "More Ways to Help the Ewarts" on page 39. The Publishers, Moe, Linda and Alex Hafizi also mentioned the Ewarts in their "Note from the Publishers".
* "Go the Distance" Benefit Concert is coming up on April 30th (details below). This performance will take place at COC’s Performing Art Center, which houses 900 people! They will be publishing an 8 1/2 x 11 (folded in half to 4 1/4 x 8 1/2 ) black & white, glossy page program. If you would like to advertise in this program, prices are as follows: 1/4 page (business card sized ad) is $60, 1/2 page is $120 and full page is $240. The deadline for copy-ready ads is April 13th. Ads can be emailed to Sherry Klahs at sklahs@umcv.org or you can mail it to the church at: United Methodist Church of Valencia, 24718 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355. If you have any questions, you can call Deb Baur at the Church Office at: 255-1301.
* We are still tallying the numbers from the Jay Leno Benefit as the final checks continue to dribble in, but it looks like we will have raised close to $90,000. These monies will be split evenly between the Baker and Ewart families – thanks again to all who helped support this magical evening! Also, many thanks to Mary and Dave Berg for their kind "Letter to the Editor" which appeared in yesterday’s (4/6/06) Signal newspaper. Of course Mary and Dave volunteered countless hours to make this event the success that it was.
* Big Bopping Bowling Bonanza – The Bowling event was a great success. Everyone who went had a great time and fun tales to share. We are wondering if anyone took any pictures – if you have pictures from this event, please email them to: Blocktalk@pacbell.net and we’ll add some to our growing photo gallery.
* Best Bite Restaurant Fundraiser – Thanks to Alex at Best Bite for offering the all-day fundraiser for the Ewarts. It was very generous of you and we are greatly appreciated. Heartfelt thanks to all of you who supported this fundraiser!
UPCOMING EVENTS
* Friday, April 7th (11am-8pm) and Saturday, April 8th (10am-3pm) – The famous "Twig Sisters" and their friends are hosting a SPRING BOUTIQUE of Handmade Garden and Home Accessories, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Ewarts. You can view their items at 23967 Via Hamaca, Valencia Hills, CA 91355. Come join the fun – if you have any questions, you can call Pat Lusk at (661) 254-7116.
* Sunday, April 30, 2006 – 7:00pm – "Go The Distance" Benefit Concert. This concert will take place at the Performing Arts Center at the College of the Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon, Santa Clarita. Tickets are $25 and are available through the Valencia United Methodist Church and the Newhall Church of the Nazarene (call Leslie Garman at 645-8696). Featured artists: Steve Amerson, Kristine Hedwall, Randy Crenshaw, Steve Lively, Natalie Beck, Leslie Garman, Ann Moore, Steven Applegate and Morningstar. This promises to be an amazing event, featuring top-of-the-line artists – you won’t want to miss it! If you can help us distribute posters or flyers around town, please let us know. Also, please help spread the word!
* Saturday, May 20, 2006 – Mark your calendars for a special event sponsored by Girl Scout Troop #236. This upcoming event will be fun for the whole family! There will be entertainment (bands & local kids performing), food vendors, activities for the kids, etc. Proceeds will benefit the Ewart Catastrophe Fund. As more details emerge, we’ll keep you posted, but just wanted you to be able to pencil in the date.
* May 2006 – Exact date TBD – We are working on a fund raiser that won’t cost you a cent! There are certain TV shows that will donate up to $20 per person, just for being an audience member for a taping of their show! Shows include: NBC’s Celebrity Cooking Showdown hosted by Alan Thicke, Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central’s The Showbiz Show with David Spade, Gameshow Marathon hosted by Ricki Lake, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and more. When we finalize dates & additional details, we will let you know.
You can expect your next update in two weeks (Friday, April 21st). As usual, if something comes up in the interim, we will keep you posted.
We wish our friends of all faiths an exceptional Spring Break and an enjoyment of family through the Passover and Easter celebrations.
