MONTAGUE — Two upcoming fundraisers at Our Family Legacy Farm will benefit the Veilleux family, as 37 year-old Tim Veilleux undergoes treatment for Stage 4 lung cancer.
The first fundraiser will take place on Thursday, Aug. 20, at the 442 Turners Falls Road property, and will feature Brandie Wells, also known as The Breakthrough Medium, who will be offer a spirit circle fundraiser. The event, set for 6 to 8:30 p.m., is limited to 50 guests, with tickets costing $44 per person.
Then on Saturday, Aug. 22, the farm will host an additional fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Money will be raised through suggested $5 donations to participate in the sunflower maze, pick-your-own sunflowers by donation, and vendor fees from the craftspeople and artisans who will be selling their wares.
Additional activities will include a visit from Montague’s Duckworld from 10 a.m. to noon and an appearance by Springfield Thunderbirds mascot Boomer from 2 to 3 p.m. Lelo’s Ice Cream Truck will be on hand all day selling ice cream. A free raffle is also available, with donations from Floral Affairs, the Springfield Thunderbirds, Yankee Candle, Franklin County’s YMCA and more.
In the case of severe weather, the event will be held the following day, Sunday, Aug. 23.
The event is still seeking vendors and community organizations interested in participating, with 10-foot-by-10-foot spaces available for a sliding-scale registration fee between $15 and $25. Community members can sign up to be a vendor at tinyurl.com/y5sfde4s.
The fundraisers are being organized by Montague residents Jenna Weld, owner of crafting business Kreative Kreations, and Natalie Spatcher of Our Family Legacy Farm.
The two are organizing on behalf of the Veilleux family, whose patriarch, Tim Veilleux, has been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. He is the husband of Mikayla Veilleux, father to four young boys who attend the Gill-Montague Regional School District, and a veteran.
“As the family’s primary provider, his diagnosis has placed an enormous financial and emotional strain on the family,” Spatcher wrote in an email about the fundraising events. “Our community has come together to help ease that burden.”
In a phone interview on Thursday, Mikayla Veilleux said her husband was first diagnosed on Father’s Day, after doctors found a mass in his chest. The Stage 4 assessment came earlier this month, and Tim Veilleux will start receiving radiation treatment in Springfield.
Since going public about Tim’s diagnosis as a family, Mikayla said she’s had people coming to the house daily to offer support, such as bringing hot meals.
“It’s the most horrible circumstances, but it’s absolutely incredible,” Mikayla Veilleux said about the community support.
Veilleux noted her children have autism and are nonverbal, and throughout this time, she and her husband have worked to maintain routine and stability for the kids. She explained that the fundraisers will help support the family between the costs of medical treatment, daily essentials and travel expenses to get to treatment.
“It mean’s absolutely everything,” she said about the support her family is receiving from the community, especially from Weld and Spatcher. “I’ve never had friends like this.”
On Thursday, Weld said she sees this effort as “bigger than herself,” and that she and Spatcher wanted to “make it as easy as possible” for the Veilleux family during a difficult time. Weld has taken over the craft vendor portion of the event as a craft business owner herself, while also using her organizing experience from her role as a peer ambassador with the Communities That Care Coalition.
Since Weld and Spatcher have put out the call for support for these fundraisers, Weld said she’s had 15 vendors offering crafts alone reach out to participate.
“It’s been beautiful,” Weld said about the interest from the community to support the fundraisers. “It takes a village to build a community.”
Mikayla Veilleux said she and her family plan to attend the Saturday, Aug. 22 event. Beyond the financial element, she said she also sees the fundraisers as an opportunity “to let [Tim Veilleux] understand the community is here for him” during this difficult time.
A GoFundMe has also been set up for the family, with donations accepted at tinyurl.com/yp4u453m.
