#redballoonsforryan
Photo credit: Jacob Esben H.
I added my small voice to the chorus of love and support for Jacqui and her family in the wake of their tragic loss on Instagram this morning, but I wanted to do more.
From her friend’s blog:
Last Friday night, while playing out front of a family members home, Ryan was hit by a truck and went home to be with Jesus. It all happened so fast and he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. A simple excitement to grab the frisbee that had escaped into the road was met with a tragic loss.
Ryan was three and a half years old.
I can’t even imagine.
And I’m not going to try.
I don’t know this family, and I’m not going to sit here and try to write about what they must be going through because I have no idea. I just wanted to collect resources for anyone who would like to help.
Because as I scrolled through IG this morning and clicked hashtags and followed link trails – there is a lot of support and love going on. Which is awesome.
Here are the ones I found that seem serious about making a sacrifice to help someone in need. (There is no shortage of Etsy shops and crafters who are offering to send 20% to the family, etc. That’s nice. I’m not going to discount those efforts, but I’m also not going to catalogue them all.)
If you know of something else, please leave a comment.
Prayers and Posts
Alissa is asking for prayers for the family, and love on your social networks:
Will you grab a picture from Jacqui’s Instagram feed, and post it to yours? Will you share words of encouragement and tag #RedBalloonsforRyan? Also be sure to tag Jacqui, @babyboybakery and Dan, @danno12.
Easy enough. Every one of us can do that.
Donations
There’s a donation link here if you have a few dollars to give. Medical bills and funeral costs do not ease the healing process after a tragedy.
T-Shirts
Several companies are sponsoring limited shirts to raise money for the family. My first thought was, “Ya, if only I had $25 to spend on a toddler t-shirt.” But then two realities hit me:
- My “if only” right now is really weak compared to other peoples’ “if only.”
- Every time I put that v-neck on my Man Cub, I will remember to hug him extra tight and thank God for him again.
Indie Nook is releasing a special t-shirt for Ryan. All proceeds will go to the family. From their website:
36 weeks ago, Indie Nook designed this Balloon tee. At the time we had 4 other designs that went out. For whatever reason, the balloon tee wasn’t printed. Our good friend Candice little’s was Ryan’s Best Friend. God has a way of working threw us. We feel this tee was meant for Ryan.
Geo Fox Apparel is taking pre-orders for a “Remember Ryan” v-neck.
Little Boogaweezin is doing baseball-t’s. From their website:
Little Boogaweezin is raising money for the Cruz family. Their son was hit by a truck while retrieving a frisbee from the street. Please help spread the word! All proceeds donated to help them in this time whether for funeral costs, missed time at work, whatever they can use it for.
Loved by Hannah and Eli, CupcakeMAG, and Yellow Bungalow Shop teamed up to offer a red baseball-t.
Other Fundraisers
@CupcakeMAG has put together six $1000 gift baskets that they will auction off on their Instagram feed starting tomorrow (May 8).
Downloadable print (“Fly high, little one”) from idieh design:
All proceeds from this print will go directly to the family to use as they see fit to honor Ryan. Please show your love & support in purchasing this print (and perhaps more than one if you would like to donate more) as an instant download. A link will be sent to you with an 8.5 x 11 PDF with crop marks at 8 x 10 for you to print, cut and frame in your home.
Hashtag
There’s more at #RedBalloonsForRyan on Instagram.
Spits and Wiggles 