A fundraising campaign has been created for the siblings struck by a car after the Menomonee Falls fireworks display. Here is how to help.
Falls Baptist Church has organized a fundraising campaign and a memorial scholarship for two siblings involved in a car accident after watching the July 3 fireworks show in Menomonee Falls.
Benjamin Reimers, 24, died the next day. His sister, Emily Grace Reimers, 25, remains in the hospital with serious injuries.
Emily Grace worked at Falls Baptist Church as a preschool and music teacher. Ben was a student at Baptist Theological Seminary in Menomonee Falls, according to the Falls Baptist Church Facebook page.
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"We are deeply grieving the loss of this precious servant of the Lord. Mr. Reimers was a wonderful teacher, mentor, friend, and discipler who was loved by many students and fellow staff members. We will all miss him more than words can express. His commitment to the Lord, his students, and love of learning has touched us all in remarkable ways," said a post on the Falls Baptist Church Facebook page.
Through a GoFundMe page, church officials started the Benjamin P. Reimers Memorial Scholarship Fund to allow Reimers "to continue making an impact on the community through education."
"It would be his desire to see children who express demonstrated financial need to take music lessons or participate in other avenues of what he called 'whole-person development,'" a Facebook post said.
To make a donation to the scholarship fund, visit gofundme/26655cbf; $2,455 has already been raised toward the $50,000 goal.
To help Emily Grace Reimers in her recovery and with her medical bills, the church also created a GoFundMe page for her. Reimers is in ICU, but according to the GoFundMe page, is hoping to be moved to a regular room in a week. She has suffered from extensive bleeding, broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a broken pelvis with accompanying internal damage. She had spinal surgery, surgery for her broken back and for her broken ribs.
"Working tirelessly with these little children, Emily never complains and goes out of her way to meet the needs of each child and partner with families," the GoFundMe page said. "Emily is also a loving and dedicated violin teacher at the Falls Baptist Music School. During her years of teaching for the music school, she has worked with many students and helped them to become successful on their instruments in their preschool and early elementary years.
"Emily Grace was an example of a humble, selfless leader who was willing to step in and assist wherever needed. Many colleagues did not even know how many people she was involved in teaching, discipling and mentoring. Her absence has been keenly felt by so many."
To make a donation to her GoFundMe page, visit gofundme.com/f/emily-grace-reimers-Medical-Expenses. Emily's page had raised $22,257 its $150,000 goal as of July 8.
After an initial investigation, Menomonee Falls Police determined the accident was unintentional. Capg. Eugene Neyhart said July 8 there did not seem to be any alcohol or drugs involved. He declined to release information about the driver and said the investigation was ongoing.
Benjamin's funeral is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 15 at Falls Baptist Church, N69 W12703 Appleton Ave.
Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kozlowicz_cathy.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Campaign raises money for siblings struck by car after Falls fireworks
