A fundraiser for Zander Lee featuring live music, appetizers, a cash bar and a raffle for two box seats to a Red Sox vs. Yankees game is scheduled for Saturday, March 5 from 4-7 p.m. at Camp Kieve’s Pasquaney dining hall.
Lee, a Damariscotta contractor, broke four ribs and four vertebrae in a Nov. 10, 2010 workplace accident, injuring his spine and suffering paralysis from the waist down.
The fundraiser seeks to bolster the Zander Lee Family Fund, set up to help offset the family’s medical expenses.
According to the “Zander Lee’s Recovery” website (www.zanderleerecovery.com), the national average for the total cost relating to a spinal cord injury totals over $300,000 in the first year and $65,000 annually thereafter.
Lee’s health insurance will cover “the bulk of his initial medical expenses,” however, “the policy does not cover many of Zander’s current and future medical needs” and he lacks “long-term disability coverage.”
Tammy Huisingh, a good friend of Lee and his wife, Allison Lee, is organizing the March 5 event. Huisingh said she hopes for a great turnout to showcase the strength of the community’s support for the family.
Local restaurants have donated appetizers for the event and a crew of volunteers has been assembled to run it, Huisingh said.
Huisingh sent “a great big ‘thank you’ to everybody in the community for all they’re doing to help and support” the Lees.
In addition to appetizers and a cash bar, the event will feature live music by Paul Mellyn, a foosball tournament, a 50/50 raffle and a slideshow. Shuttle buses will be available to bring attendees from the Camp Kieve parking lot to Pasquaney hall.
“The challenges Zander and his family will face over the coming years will indeed be great; our hope is that with the support of their family, friends, and the community at large, those challenges will be surmountable,” a statement on the Zander Lee’s Recovery website reads.
For more information about Lee or the upcoming fundraiser, including directions, visit www.zanderleerecovery.com and/or like “Zander Lee Recovery” on facebook. Those planning to attend the fundraiser can RSVP via the “Zander Lee Fundraiser” event page on facebook.
Advance tickets are available for a $20 donation until noon Saturday at the Central Lincoln County YMCA, King Eider’s Pub and the Maine Coast Book Shop in Damariscotta, at Mexicali Blues and the Newcastle Publick House in Newcastle and at Mexicali Blues in Portland.
Tickets will be available at the door for the same price.
To donate to the Zander Lee Family Fund, visit the website and donate via PayPal or send a check to: The First, Zander Lee Family Fund, c/o Mitchell Wellman, P.O. Box 940, Damariscotta, ME 04543.
