On November 28th, 2009, Karen Kahler and her daughters Emily and Lauren were shot to death by Karen's estranged husband while they were visiting her grandmother, Dorothy, for the Thanksgiving holiday. Dorothy was also shot and as of yesterday was not doing well and being removed from life support. Sean, Karen's 10 year old son, escaped from the house physically unharmed.

We have created this website to help her family with immediate financial needs and Sean's ongoing care. Please feel free to leave comments for the family as I will be sharing this site with them. And, if you can contribute even a single dollar, it's a drop in the bucket toward helping this devastated family.

Karen, Emily, and Lauren Kahler

Karen, Emily, and  Lauren Kahler
This photo was shared with us by Sunny, Karen's best friend. It was taken on Thanksgivng day.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Vigil for Karen at MU Campus

I just received an email from the School of Health Profession at MU, and because Karen was such a valued member of the MU community , they are hosting a vigil for her tomorrow night at the MU Campus in the AP Green Chapel at 5:30. Please plan to attend and honor Karen's life, a life that was lived to the fullest and cut short by the ultimate cruelty and evil of domestic violence.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

The Vigil

The vigil at the ARC for Karen, Emily, and Lauren Kahler, and Karen's grandmother, Dorothy Wight, was simply beautiful. I was touched to see that so many people turned out on such a frigid night to remember and honor all of these beautiful women. The song played during our time of silence was "Fireflies", and it was so perfectly fitting for Karen. It was one of her favorites. Milton, an elderly gentleman at the ARC, wrote a beautiful poem that was shared. I will post his poem later today. Milton loved Karen and would always hang out in the outdoor area where we had our bootcamp classes, with a friend of his, throwing a baseball back and forth, just to be close to her. Just as she touched many of our lives, she obviously had a great impact on his and added a little extra joy and love to his days. In honor of Karen and her family today, look around at the people you come into contact with and ask yourself what you can do for them to add a little joy to their day. Let's take what Karen gave us all and pay it forward.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Please remember the vigil for Karen and her family tonight at the ARC, at 5:30 p.m. Candles will be provided, and we will have a basket for any donations or cards that anyone would like to give. Thank you!!

I just have to say that Karen's entire family carries the same inner strength that Karen and her girls were all known for! What an amazing family!
I'm correcting my last post. Memorial services will be held at The Federated Church in Burlingame, Kansas on December 5th, at 10:00 a.m. It is my understanding that friends are more than welcome, but it is a small church holding about 200 -250 people. If you live in Columbia and are interested in carpooling, please let me know. We are organizing a group that will meet at the ARC on Saturday morning and carpool to Burlingame.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

I just received information that the funerals will be held on Saturday, December 5th in Burlingame, Kansas, at 10:00 a.m.

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