BELLINGHAM - A fundraiser on Sunday, Jan. 22, will raise money for a Happy Valley family injured in a New Year's Day fire.
The event is 3 to 7 p.m. at Blue Horse Gallery, 301 W. Holly St., No. 101, in Bellingham. It includes live music by Boys Makin' Noise as well as Bellingham Firefighters Pipes & Drums, a bake sale and silent auction.
Entry is $10 per person. Children get in free. All proceeds benefit the MacGregor family.
Jennifer and Joseph MacGregor and their two daughters - Summer, 13, and Willow, 10 - suffered burns and injuries from smoke inhalation when their rented duplex in the 1200 block of 24th Street caught fire early New Year's Day.
The blaze trapped Jennifer and the two girls in a bedroom. Joseph managed to escape the home, but then smashed in a window in an effort to save his family. That left him bloodied, burned and in need of serious medical help.
All four family members are recovering but remain hospitalized at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The MacGregors lost everything in the fire, and it's unknown when they'll be able to come home to Bellingham.
The family didn't have renter's insurance. The girls had health insurance through the state, but their parents didn't.
The Sunday fundraiser is the latest effort by friends and the community to help the family.
"I'm pretty amazed. I'm thankful I live in Bellingham right now," family friend Tom Senner said of the help that's been offered.
Senner described the MacGregors as "good people."
"They always helped out," Senner said. "Joe's life pretty much revolved around taking care of his family. He worked really hard. The family was the center of his life."
About $20,000 has been raised for the family so far.
But more will be needed for the MacGregors, including for what is expected to be a long recovery.
The fundraiser will help "make sure the family has everything that they need," said Elisabeth White, who knows the family.
HOW TO HELP
• Friends of the MacGregor family have set up a Facebook page. Find it by typing in "Help Support the MacGregor Family in Bellingham, WA." The site includes updates on the family.
• People can donate money to the MacGregor Family Benefit Account at any Peoples Bank location.
