Community holds fund raisers for families of miners

Intermountain Catholic

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Sam's Club shoppers help in the effort to raise funds for the families of the mining tragedy by purchasing a snow cone from the Snowie Shack. Children could also have their face painted and get a balloon.IC photo by Christine Young

DRAPER — Juan Diego Catholic High School has a goal to raise $5,000 by Aug. 31, for the families of the trapped miners in Huntington and the rescue workers who died.

Hearing the news of six trapped miners as a result of a collapse at the Crandall Canyon Mine Aug. 6, and the second collapse at the mine Aug. 16, in which three rescue workers died, made Juan Diego students and their parents want to take action.

"School did not start until Aug. 20, but at our season opening football game Aug. 17 at Juan Diego, the student body officers, student council, and the peer ministry group decided to take up a collection," said Mary Fasig, Juan Diego director of campus life student activities. "Anybody who wanted to could donate. We raised $1,000 and we have already sent it to Father Donald E. Hope, pastor of Notre Dame de Lourdes Parish in Price, Good Shepherd Parish, East Carbon, St. Michael the Archangel Mission, Green River, and Mission San Rafael in Huntington.

"On Aug. 31, we will hold a campus-wide free spirit fund raiser for the San Rafael Relief Fund," said Eduardo Santana, Juan Diego student body president. Students from St. John the Baptist Elementary and Middle Schools and Juan Diego will not have to wear their uniforms that day. In return, they will raise funds to donate to the families of the mining tragedy. We will have another home football game Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. that will be followed by a dance, and we will continue to collect funds."

When Hilda Echegaray, a Juan Diego parent, found out the students were trying to raise $5,000, for the miners, she decided to do what she could to help the families as well. Echegaray, volunteers, and students from Juan Diego raised $1,586 Aug. 25, by selling hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, and a drink for $3 in front of Sam’s Club in West Jordan.

"My friends, Val and Sonya Brown, who own a Snowie Shack, offered to donate all their proceeds for the day to the families of the miners," said Echegaray. "My friend, Buttons the Clown, offered to donate the tips she received from giving balloons away to the children during the event.

"At parent orientation, I heard the first student project would be to help the families of the miners. I have put fund raisers together in the past and thought this would be another great way to involve the students," said Echegaray. "I made a flyer and gave it to Lynella Williams, Juan Diego community and special events coordinator, so she would know what my plans were and could help me get the students involved.

"I made arrangements with the manager of Sam’s Club to hold the fund raiser in front of the store in West Jordan," said Echegaray. "I have held fund raisers there in the past, and they have all been successful. I used to work at Sam’s Club and they are just like family.

"I believe in the scripture Philippians 4:13, ‘I have strength for everything through him who strengthens me,’" said Echegaray. "I have the strength through God to organize these fund raisers to help those in need. People have thanked me for organizing fund raisers in the past and have said they wanted to help, they just did not know how."

Sam’s Club donated all the hotdogs, hamburgers, buns, chips, and soda pop for the fund raiser. Tony Hribar, Sam’s Club business office supervisor, will deliver the $1,586 to the miners’ families. Hribar is a friend of Don Erickson, one of the trapped miners, and knows his family well.

"I am originally from Helper and so is Don," said Hribar. "My father was a coal miner for 50 years. He is now retired. This situation is hard because when something like this happens it effects everybody. We are all connected. When the mining accident happened in West Virginia in January 2006, we were all watching television constantly to find out what was going on. Miners everywhere are like family. There are also a lot of Carbon and Emery County people who shop here at Sam’s Club."

Retired Msgr. Francis B. Pellegrino, former pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, West Valley City and other parishes in the Diocese of Salt Lake City, went to Huntington for a cousin’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration.

"I have been assisting Fr. Hope for the past four weeks during this tragedy so he could spend time with the families in Huntington," said Msgr. Pellegrino. "Fr. Hope has done a marvelous job pastorally. He is very humble and low key, and in a crisis like this, he has been a tremendous help to the families. I have tried to help out by celebrating the Masses, answering the telephone, and visiting the sick and the elderly. Thomas Singer, a seminarian from Roosevelt, has also been an invaluable help to Fr. Hope.

"I grew up in Carbon County, and had two uncles die in the 1924 mining explosion in Castle Gate," said Msgr. Pellegrino. "I have known many people involved in the mining industry. This tragedy touches the hearts and souls of all the people of Emery and Carbon Counties.

"We have left the churches open so people could go in and pray and light candles," said Msgr. Pellegrino. "There has been a tremendous amount of support for the families of the trapped miners and the rescue workers who were killed when the mine collapsed a second time."