Tara's family are the ones whooping and hollering as they throw themselves fully clothed into the pond at WildKids, they are at the top of the climbing tower calling everyone up, Zack plays chase with all the kids at gymnastics and ends up with 10 of them hanging off him, and Zack and Noah each have to lead a team when we play Capture the Flag because they are both so good you have to split them up! On June 28th, they lost Tara, sweet home schooling mama and love of Zack's life - all you had to do was witness one look he gave her and you knew they were that special kind of couple that just belongs together.
Yesterday, the local homeschooling community came together to honor Tara's life and help raise enough that Zack can just be together with his babies for the next few months, without worrying about money. And man, we did that and a whole lot more!
The support from local homeschoolers and the greater community has been amazing, and truly uplifting.
As one of Gillian's fellow organizers said:
"We made a statement yesterday — that we will not be complacent in the face of personal tragedy. The world is a better place today because of what we did. The Allman's have a little more cash to carry on with. And more than that, everyone who was at the carnival had their lives touched. We all experienced a world where people care for each other, help each other, and celebrate together. The hope and goodwill we created will ripple outward in countless ways and touch the lives of many.
None of us will ever forget that special day when we turned our sadness into a celebration of life, and when we came together to show that we matter to each other."
Oh, and we had a bit of fun in the process too...
Steven was the greeter for the day:
Food and drinks were donated from a whole pile of stores (actually everything was donated):
Snow cone dudes...
Kelly and Captain Sparrow hosted the lollipop pull...
Adrian about to go under:
Pimp Daddy gets a makeover:
Zack about to enjoy a lovely murky swim:
Magic show:
And the fans go wild...
Marimba (Tara's group):
Fish pond:
Marimba crowd dancers...
Cupcake walk:
There were an amazing amount of items and services donated for the silent auction (that's Tara's mum & dad picking up their winnings):
And now Gillian can sleep. Well, almost - seems there's still a bit of sorting out to finish up!
