The Creekview/Creekland school community and the Midway United Methodist Church are uniting to help a local family in need by holding a spaghetti supper and silent auction from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. May 19 at Creekview High School.
The community plans to build a new home for the family, which has been struck by serious illness.
John and Martha Harben and their two sons, John, 15, and Charles, 13, live on a three-acre property in an old farmhouse. They were planning to renovate and enlarge the one-bedroom, one-bath house, but then the elder John was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, which is an infection of the spinal column that left him temporarily unable to work, said Melissa Barclay of Midway UMC. He is back to work but his wife has been found to have a glioblastoma multiforme, which Barclay said is an aggressive brain tumor.
“Martha continues to face this battle with amazing strength and a quiet determination,” Barclay said. “We cannot cure Martha but we can cure the housing problem.”
She said the group has secured a builder and plans to build a comfortable, safe, and handicapped-accessible home on the Harben’s land to replace the 80-year-old farmhouse, which is in poor condition.
The group is sponsoring the spaghetti supper to raise funds for construction. The group is looking for donations of money, items for the silent auction, professional service and building supplies and workers to help build the home. A tax-deductible receipt can be supplied to those who contribute.
To contribute or for information, call Barclay at (404) 217-1691 or Tina McCleskey at (770) 316-4302.