A group of Oak Park orphans is planning a fundraiser this afternoon for two Texas kids left without parents after a tragic car accident last month.
Joshua Berry, 41, and his wife Robin, 40, were killed instantly in the head-on collision the evening of July 2 outside of Houston. Their 6-year-old daughter Willa suffered broken bones, while her brothers Aaron, 8, and Peter, 9, were left paralyzed from the waist down.
Last week, the two Berry boys were relocated to Oak Park to begin their treatment at Shriners Hospital for Children, located just north of the village in Chicago’s Galewood neighborhood, and are being cared for by their aunt and uncle.
Mary Ann Brown, executive director for the Hephzibah Children’s Association, was touched by the story from the July 27 issue of Wednesday Journal, and read it to a group of 10 orphans staying with the organization at 946 North Blvd.
The children wanted to do something to help, according to Brown. They’re donating some of their toys to the Berry boys, and holding a lemonade stand from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. today in front of Hephzibah to raise money for the family.
“They have a real spirit and they’re very giving, even though they’ve lost everything,” Brown said. “You think of the things that mean the most to you, and then one day, to not have any of that — family, housing, clothes. So, it’s always nice to see that they can think kindly and sympathetically about other situations, and not feel sorry for themselves.”