Franklin Flyer

One of my activities for the year is being in charge of the Franklin Flyer, the school newsletter that goes home twice a month. I agreed to do it after the sweet lady doing it before me moved her children to another school. I was told it would be fun and not very hard. For the most part, it is fun. But our last newsletter was a bit different. We have a family in our school that was involved in a tragic accident and they wanted me to mention it. I admit I do not know the family. I did checked out the internet and learned a lot, but if you ask anyone in Mesa about Christian and Stephanie Neilson, most know the story as if they were family.

August 16th, the couple were coming back from New Mexico and landed in a small town in northeastern Arizona to fill up on gas. Along with the pilot, the couple took off and the plane stalled, finally crashing in a ball of flames. The pilot died the next day, the couple are now in Maricopa County Medical Center in the burn unit in critical condition. Their children have been split up, most going to Salt Lake area to live with an aunt and uncle, with the one year old staying here. Everyone I have asked has had nothing but wonderful things to say about this family.

Cortney is performing with the choir and other local singers will perform in a benefit concert Wednesday for the family and so many other people are stepping up and doing more. I wish I could do more. My heart breaks for the family; the kids being separated as well as the pain and nightmare the couple will face in the next months, maybe years. It is nice to see the community pull together for such a deserving family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Neilsons and their families.