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Benefit to support family of John and Emily Gerding on Saturday
A speeding driver killed Emily Gerding last month in Robbinsdale and injured her husband, John.
ROBBINSDALE, Minn. — When a speeding driver bolted through a Robbinsdale intersection on July 8, killing 34-year-old Emily Gerding and seriously injuring her husband, John, the community stepped up to help the family with nearly $200,000 in donations to a GoFundMe.
“For me, personally, it has really helped me process the tragedy, because your initial response is to be angry at the fact that this happened,” said Lisa Crandall, who has known the family for more than 20 years. “Just the fact that people are still so good in the world has really been a soother for my soul.”
Almost one month later, the support still hasn’t wavered.
This Saturday, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Eagles Nest Lounge in Robbinsdale will be holding a benefit for the family, featuring a raffle, silent auction, and “beer bust.”
Crandall said Eagles Nest co-owner Jackie Eagles, whom she is close with, actually reached out to her proactively to inquire about hosting an event.
“Lisa has been a customer of ours for years, a friend of ours, and when it happened I went into rally mode,” Eagles said, “and just thought, ‘What can I do, as a community, to rally and help this family out?'”
Everyone is welcome at the benefit, including kids. In addition to the raffle, auction and beer bust, organizers will also be selling t-shirts to support the family.
“It’s awful, horrific, sad. It’s terrible, but to know that people are on your side, and you have a community behind you,” Eagles said, “is huge.”
According to a post on the website CaringBridge, John Gerding was released from the hospital on July 28 and will continue his physical therapy from home.
“Obviously, he has a long way to go,” Lisa Crandall said, “[but] it’s wonderful, wonderful news.”
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Almost 80 percent reported that they have less than a year before they face financial distress.
MINNESOTA, USA — Despite Give to the Max Day breaking donation records, nonprofits tell us they still need help to keep up the demand for their services.
According to a recent survey by the Council of Nonprofits, 73 percent of Minnesota organizations reported they have grown programs and services to meet the demands of Minnesotans.
Almost 80 percent reported that they have less than a year before they face financial distress.
Open Arms is a nonprofit that delivers food to critically ill people. It said December is a crucial month for donations, because they will make decisions on their programs and services for the next year.
“Wages and the cost of ingredients have gone up 30% since the end of COVID or the end of the COVID years, and so that is really, really hard on all nonprofits,” said CEO Leah Hébert Welles. “And then the second thing, government funds have dried up.”
“It’s almost kind of like the way that the tide works and a big body of water where there is still significant need, but that wave of resources from 2020 has backed up, and the need for nonprofits is still right there,” said Jake Blumberg, the executive director of GiveMN, the organization in charge of Give to the Max Day.
Blumberg says 30% of donations for nonprofits happen in the last six weeks of the year.
“We have to make really hard decisions about what we can do next year, how many more people we can help, how many more staff we can hire,” said Welles,
To consider donation or volunteering to Open Arms of Minensota, click here.
To explore more nonprofits, visit GiveMN.org.
According to the report, the BPPD said Andre Lane has been missing since 11 a.m. this morning.
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — The Brooklyn Park Police Department is asking for the public to help find a missing man who has Alzheimer’s.
According to the alert, the BPPD said 57-year-old Andre Lane has been missing since 2 p.m. this afternoon.
He stands at 5’9″ and weighs roughly 250 pounds. Lane suffers from Alzheimer’s and dementia and may not be able to take care of himself, said the BPPD.
Lane was last seen wearing grayish-blue Levi’s jacket, black hat, black sweatpants, a gray long sleeve t-shirt and black Jordan shoes, according to the report.
Officials believe Lane left his residence, near the 6600 block of Tessman Terrace, on foot. The BPPD is asking people who live near Tessman Farm Road/85th Avenue North to check yards and properties.
Anyone who sees Lane is asked to contact the Brooklyn Park Police Department at 763-493-8222.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The driver in the vehicle involved is reportedly cooperating with police and the investigation remains open and active.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A woman has died after being struck by a vehicle in the parking lot of St. Louis Park’s Knollwood Mall.
A city spokesperson told KARE the incident happened Friday afternoon in the parking lot of The Shoppes at Knollwood. The city said despite life-saving efforts by emergency responders and paramedics, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver in the vehicle involved is reportedly cooperating with police and the investigation remains open and active.
The victim, an adult woman, has not yet been identified.
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