Article appeared in the Jan. 16, 2013 issue of the Interlake Enterprise, by Teresa Carey…
Adam T. Elvis performing at the Fraserwood Hall
A fundraising concert at the Fraserwood Hall on Jan. 13 was held in honour of the Welch family of Gimli, who lost their home to fire on New Years Eve.
The concert, called “Tribute to the Legends” ran from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., with performances by Adam T. Elvis (a.k.a. Adam Tarnowski of Gimli), Patsy Cline (a.k.a. Laurie Sutherland of Selkirk) and Johnny Cash (a.k.a. Aaron Preciuk of Bird’s Hill). All of the performers, including the backup band, Good Rockin Tonight from the Interlake and Winnipeg, donated their time for the cause.
“This was our main fundraiser for them,” said Tarnowski, “to raise money to help the Welch family back on their feet and to restart their life.”
Tarnowski, who is related to the Welch family through marriage, helped galvanize about 15 volunteers, consisting of friends and family. Together, they helped make the concert a great success.
The concert was attended by about 400 people from across the Interlake and Winnipeg. Tickets sold for $10 apiece. There was a silent auction, with donations from over 50 Interlake businesses and individuals. The silent auction itself brought in over $2,000, all of which will be donated to the Welch family.
Gimli Mayor Lynn Greenburg was a familiar face in the crowd. He attended with his wife, Bernice.
“We knew there would be good support. That’s why my wife and I came at 12:30, to make sure we got a seat,” Greenburg said.
“It was really nice to see the family show up for this event,” said Tarnowski. Even in this bitter cold there are people here from Winnipeg and all over the Interlake. It brings a tear to my eye to see how much support there is for the family.”
Tarnowski said he has been fielding phone calls all week from people wanting to donate clothing, furniture and money.
“Some of the stuff is brand-spanking new. One of the people [who called] said, ‘we actually just bought it, but this family has nothing, and we realized we can go out and buy another’. God bless them for that,” he said.
Tarnowski has meanwhile tried to find meaning in this tragedy.
“Some people said, ‘Why didn’t God do something?’ He did: There was no loss of life. There are three people who are still alive…They’re a beautiful family. God made it possible that they’d be together for many years to come…He works in mysterious ways. Things all happen for a reason,” he said.
Midway through the concert, (Adam) Tarnowski called Ian Tarnowski (brother-in-law to Greg Welch) to the stage. Representatives from two community groups then came up to make presentations of cheques for the Welch family.
The Ukrainian Brotherhood, East Interlake presented a cheque for $500, followed by St. Michaels Catholic Women’s League of Gimli, which presented a cheque for $100.00.
Ian, in a moving speech, thanked them for the donations, as well as thanking organizers and the community at large for everything they have done on behalf of the Welch family.
“It’s hard for me to be up here,” he said with a wavering voice. “There is such overwhelming support–people putting on socials, making donations of clothes, furniture and money. It’s more than you could ever know what it means to myself and my family.”
Ian thanked the performers as well, and asked that the audience give them a round of applause. He then gave a quick update of the progress being made by family members involved in the fire.
“Craig was release late Saturday night [Jan. 5]. He had a broken C-7 vertebrae in his neck…Jayda is with us today (at the concert)—she’s very resilient…Jordon is still in critical condition.”
“On Wednesday [doctors] removed his breathing tube and lowered his medications to see what his pain threshold is…He had burns form his waist to the top of his head. The skin grafts are taking,” he said.
“Speaking to him, there’s moments of clarity there. He knows what happened and the support from the community. He knows about what’s happening here today. He says to thank you all.”
“The strides that [Jordon] has made form last week is incredible…We’re hoping that in three to six months he will be getting out of the hospital, and one to three years for a full recovery.”
“We’re not going backwards. We’re going forward,” Ian said.
Ian then expressed profound appreciation for all the individual donations community members have made.
“If it takes five years, I’ll get back to every one of you, ” he said.
