'Pain, grief, questions'

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - Although Oct. 2 is certain to be a day of heavy hearts, prayer and family, Bart Township Fire Company officials and the Nickel Mines Accountability Committee said there will be no public observance of the shootings one year ago at West Nickel Mines Amish School in Bart Township.

A statement released Wednesday by the committee said that although families continue the healing process, "the approaching anniversary and public attention to it intensifies the awareness of the loss of loved ones and the painful injuries of the survivors.

"To the casual observer, life goes on in Nickel Mines with its daily and seasonal demands of work, school, births, family and church, but for the families, each day brings with it the pain, grief and questions that remind them of their loss."

Four families lost five daughters when Charles Carl Roberts IV, a milk-truck driver, entered the school shortly after recess and shot 10 female students. Five died and five were seriously wounded. Roberts then took his own life.

The five killed were: Marian S. Fisher, 13; Anna Mae Stoltzfus, 12; sisters Mary Liz Miller, 8, and Lena Z. Miller, 7; and Naomi Rose Ebersol, 7.

The four-page statement also offers updates on the conditions of the surviving students and provides details about the use of the $4.3 million in contributions the committee has received for the victims and their families.

Of the five survivors, four returned to school in December, while still undergoing rehabilitation therapy and corrective surgeries, according to the committee's statement. The fifth, 7-year-old Rosanna King, uses a reclining wheelchair and is unable to talk. She is fed through a tube.

To her family and many others, Rosanna, who was not expected to survive, is nothing short of a miracle.

"As of today, she smiles a lot, big smiles, and … recognizes family members and a few others," her parents wrote in the statement. Her vision and hearing are good, and she randomly moves her arms and legs and follows people with her eyes, they said.

Earlier this month, 12-year-old Barbie Fisher had reconstructive nerve surgery to restore more use of her severely injured right shoulder and arm.

Sarah Ann Stoltzfus, 9, suffered severe head injuries and underwent brain surgery. She was able to return to school in December, her parents said. She does not have full vision in her left eye, and the only visible reminders of her injuries are scars and the short hair she still has.

According to the statement, the victims' families have found support within their families, community and church and are undergoing professional counseling.

They have found solace in reaching out to others. Recently, some families traveled to Blacksburg, Va., to meet with school officials and families of the Virginia Tech shootings and deliver the Comfort Quilt, which was given to Nickel Mines. The Comfort Quilt was made by school children in Ohio and originally given to a school in New Jersey to comfort children after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It then was given to a school in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina.

Also in the release, the committee, which was established to manage donations, reported that about one-third of the $4.3 million donated from around the world has been used, with the remainder to go into a trust fund for ongoing expenses of the victims.

Funds have been used for medical expenses, rehabilitative surgery, physical therapy, counseling services, personal care for victims and renovations to make the King home handicap-accessible, said the report.

Contributions were made to some of the volunteer emergency-service agencies that responded to the school Oct. 2. The committee also will pay for special rescue equipment that can be used in similar emergencies. A contribution also was made to the Roberts family.

A portion of the money was used to build New Hope Amish School, which was built to replace the Nickel Mines school that was torn down a week after the shootings.

"Some new students have joined the school, which is taught by the same teacher as in the previous year," the committee wrote. "Parents have voiced appreciation for the continuity and stability the teacher provides for the students. The children are reported to be enjoying their classes but they keenly miss the girls who died."

The statement concluded by thanking Bart Township Fire Company for their leadership and use of facilities immediately after the horrific event and in the months after.

"The activities concentrated at the Bart Township Fire Company those first weeks after the tragedy are etched in the minds of observers as a symbol of community at its best," the committee wrote. "Through shared suffering and pain, in shoulder-to-shoulder labors of love, in mutual respect despite differences, the people of Nickel Mines are bearing each other's burdens as they seek solace and healing in their terrible loss."

Bart Township Fire Company released its own statement Wednesday saying it does not plan a memorial observance on Oct. 2.

"Each day we carry a living memorial in our hearts and minds of this tragic event and of the community's generous response. We ask that you keep the children and their families in your prayers."

An update of an horrific event and perhaps another view of how to observe such an anniversary.

Bart Township Fire Company released its own statement Wednesday saying it does not plan a memorial observance on Oct. 2.

"Each day we carry a living memorial in our hearts and minds of this tragic event and of the community's generous response. We ask that you keep the children and their families in your prayers."

No one here is trying to get face time in the news, Thank God

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.