Community rallying around local teacher whose husband has terminal cancer
Published at | Updated at
UCON — The small town of Ucon is hoping to offer a helping hand to a beloved teacher and her family this Saturday.
A spaghetti dinner has been organized to raise money for Carla Rice, a second-grade teacher at Ucon Elementary, and her family. Her husband, John, was recently diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and only has a few months to live.
The news has “absolutely crippled” the family of five, says Amber Sorg, a member of the Parent-Teacher Organization and a close friend to Carla Rice.
“I consider Carla a very dear friend of mine. She is one of the most incredible, loving, selfless people I know,” Sorg tells EastIdahoNews.com. “And she is always giving so much of her heart to others, but especially to her students and to Ucon.”
Because she and John are so used to giving, Sorg says when the PTO learned about John’s diagnosis and “intense” medical bills, the organization immediately started brainstorming ways they could give back to this special family.
They ultimately decided to host a spaghetti dinner.
“This is an opportunity for people within our community to be able to come together and be present and support (Carla) in a way that just sending $20 to a Venmo can’t,” Sorg explains.
She also feels gathering and eating together could be cathartic for the community.
“It’s a way that we can come together as a community and support somebody who has given us so much, but it’s also a social way that we can mourn and love together,” says Sorg.
Local businesses and individuals have donated food for the event, which includes enough for several hundred people. All the money raised on Saturday will go straight to the Rice family.
Help with day-do-day things, like preparing the yard for the winter, house-cleaning, etc., are also needed.
“They’re trying to spend as much time as they can (together) before they have to say goodbye,” Sorg explains.
The spaghetti dinner will be served at the Ucon Elementary School cafeteria from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dinner is $5 per person and $25 for a family (up to six people).
Those unable to attend can still donate to the PTO’s Venmo account. (Write “Carla” in the comments).
Our attorneys tell us we need to put this disclaimer in stories involving fundraisers: EastIdahoNews.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries.