If the recent spring-like weather hasn’t been enough to make you want to open your windows and clean out your house, here’s another reason to motivate you: Ashburn residents Christine LeTourneau and Jane Hofmann are organizing a major fundraiser to benefit Ryan Diviney.Diviney is an Ashburn resident who, while attending college at West Virginia University in 2009, was beaten severely in an attack that left him with a brain injury. He has been in a coma since.
“I have been so touched by Ryan’s story, I just want to help in any way that I can,” said Hofmann.
After reading on the Rally for Ryan blog that Ryan had been accepted into a cutting-edge, yet costly, brain injury treatment program at the International Brain Research Foundation, Hofmann became motivated to organize a fundraiser.
“The Divineys had written two $25,000 checks and were tapped out,” Hofmann said. “They needed help from friends and family, so it was time to get creative.”
Although she didn’t know the family personally, she was inspired to help them raise the funds necessary to admit Ryan into the program. The question was how to go about doing it.
The solution struck her when she least expected it.
“I was watching the show ‘Enough Already’ on the Oprah Winfrey Network and got motivated to clean the house,” Hofmann explained. “I produced a big pile of items that I needed to donate. Looking at the pile, the idea hit me: people have so much stuff, let’s organize a community-wide yard sale.”
After discussing it with her friend Christine LeTourneau, the two came up with a plan.
“The more that we talked, the bigger the event became,” LeTourneau said.
Declutter for the Divineys will be held April 9, the same day as the Ashburn Village Community Yard Sale. Not only will it be a mega yard sale, it will be a festival of sort with live music, food, raffles and an array of entertainment for the whole family.
The icing on the cake is that the man who provided the secondary inspiration for the event, the host of “Enough Already,” Peter Walsh, will be in attendance! (Diviney, of course, is the primary inspiration.)
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“When we contacted the show, we never expected to hear back,” LeTourneau said. “We are so excited that Peter Walsh is going to be part of our event.”
Thanks to Long & Foster’s donation of storage space, Hofmann and LeTourneau are able to accept donations for the yard sale now through April 7. They are accepting clothes, furniture, toys and household goods in good condition. They are also accepting merchandise or gift cards from local businesses as raffle prizes.
If you would like to help, now is a great time to start on that Spring cleaning. Donations can be made seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 43490 Yukon Drive, Suite 105, in Ashburn. Visit the Declutter for the Divineys Facebook page.
Patch will post more details about the location of the yard sale as they become available.
Lady (Paula :-D), did you ever contact Oprah Winfrey show?? I bet she would help!!!
Oh yeah, we’ve been knocking on Oprah’s door for sometime now — Oprah, if you’re reading this, would you please come to Ashburn and help us raise money to help Ryan? Peter Walsh is coming — YAY!!! Oprah, will you come too???
Paula. ,I also sent a story on Ryan to Oprah.com …..hope someday she will read them all and give a thought to it …Would
be so wonderful…..They need so many things …..Praying to God. Gail
“Ask and it shall be given; seek and ye shall find!” God must be smiling at the compassion and love being poured out…..God is so full of resources that NOTHING is too big for Him. Keep asking and praying….God is listening….think BIG!
maybe Ann Curry would like to do a follow up …….
I so agree with you both ,Paula and Ms.Blase and wish I could be there Paula, If you could tell me some way I can contribute …Gift card ,check or can you think of another way …I definitely want to. Hope one day I can get down there and meet Ryan and the Divineys….Maybe get a gift certificate at the Radiance Salon fundraiser and get my hair done down in Ashburn,Va.
Will always be here for Ryan and Hope they raise enough for all the things Ryan needs L Gail
Gail, you are welcome here anytime! Many of us would love to meet you!
Hi Gail, there’s lots of us who would love to meet you!! Ryan has brought a lot of really nice people together — and the one thing they all have in common is their love for Ryan and his family : )
You ‘re so right about that ,Paula …..so many nice ,caring,loving people and Right again….Ryan has bought us all together and we will all keep praying for his healing……Hope I can also meet some of you too. L Gail
Wow!!! Another answer to prayers — when people learn about Ryan’s story and how much his family has gone through, they can’t help but want to get involved. Pass it on — the more folks who are aware of Ryan and how hard he is fighting, the more who will get involved. There are so many large expenses looming on the horizon — the IBRF treatment, all the medications and supplements not covered by insurance — and — other things the Divineys really need in order to care of their son, such as a wheel chair accessible van, an exercise table — and — in my opinion, a deck so they can bring Ryan into his backyard to enjoy the fresh air and sounds of nature. So much has been robbed from them … not just physically and emotionally, but financially too. Thanks to all who continue to reach out and support them.
This takes awesome to a whole new level 🙂