GOOD CAUSE

After a terrible accident on July 3 that turned 
one Royse City family’s world upside down, 
community members are banding together to 
support one of their own.

While setting off fireworks to celebrate with 
her family, 8-year-old Makenna Brown 
sustained a critical eye injury. According 
to a post by her family on Facebook, a 
firework fell over and shot out at everyone, 
and she did not duck in time. 

Makenna’s mother and Royse City 
Community Development Board Secretary 
Tonya Brown said since her daughter’s 
eye socket was fractured, it had to be 
repaired within two weeks of the initial 
injury to prevent infection from spreading. 
Doctors later determined that Makenna’s 
eyeball would have to be removed through 
enucleation surgery and replaced with 
a prosthetic.

Tonya said despite the severity of the injury, 
her daughter has tried to resume her typical 
joyful attitude.

“Makenna has 
always been pretty 
tough,” Tonya said. 
“The hardest part for 
her at this point is 
waiting to get back 
to the things she 
loves to do. She had 
a rough couple of 
days following the 
enucleation surgery 
on Monday, July 11. 
She was in a lot of 

pain and slept for the next two days, not 
wanting to eat or drink. We removed the 
eye patch on Wednesday, July 13, and 
within a half hour or so she was ready 
to wake up and be a kid.”

Going forward, Tonya said a specialist will 
create a prosthetic eye for Makenna over the 
course of about one month. The prosthetic 
eye will need to be replaced every five 
years as Makenna grows.

 “It will be a new way of life that we will 
all have to adjust to, but we are blessed to 
do so, because we still have our sweet 
little girl,” Tonya said.

Tonya said her heart has been touched by the 
way her Royse City community has rallied 
around Makenna and the whole family. 

Almost immediately after the accident, 
Royse City Chamber of Commerce 
President Julia Bryant and Royse City 
resident Kelley Robertson set up a 
GoFundMe account and an account at 
Guaranty bank for donations to Makenna, 
as well as a meal chain to help feed her 
family. SweetFace Sugar Shoppe & Bakery 
hosted “Cupcakes For Makenna” and 100% 
from each Vanilla Vanilla cupcake sold 
was donated to the “Makenna Brown 
Love Fund.” 

Bryant also organized a “Back to School 
BINGO For Makenna Fundraiser & Silent 
Auction” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21 at Big 
Sky Event Hall to help with Makenna’s 
medical expenses. Community members 
are donating food, drinks, prizes and silent 
auction items for the event. 

 “God has shown up big through his people 
who are giving of their time, money and 
prayers and resources,” Tonya said. “We 
feel truly blessed amidst the tragedy.  We 
have prayed and prayed for a miracle and 
we have been blessed by more miracles than 
we could have imagined asking for. They 
might not be the miracles our simple 
minds can think to ask for, but they 
are miracles nonetheless.” 

By Julie Anne White, 
Blue Ribbon News reporter. 

Lone Star CASA 
(Court Appointed 
Special Advocates), 
which advocates for 
children in Kaufman 
and Rockwall 
Counties, will host 
Information Sessions 
for those interested in 
learning more 
about the organization 
and becoming 
a CASA volunteer.

CASA volunteers are appointed by a judge 
to discover the best possible outcome for 
abused or neglected children in foster care. 
It is the goal of the CASA volunteer that 
every one of these children is in a safe, 
permanent home in a timely manner.

You don’t have to be a lawyer or social 
worker to be a volunteer. Lone Star CASA 
welcomes volunteers from all cultures, 
professions, and educational backgrounds. 
They are looking for people with a desire 
to help abused children.

What does a volunteer do?
•Complete 30 hours of new

volunteer training

•Review case records
•Research information
•Prepare court reports
•Make recommendations to the court
• Advocate in court
•Complete 12 hours of training per year

Volunteer sessions will be 6:30 p.m. 
Monday, Aug. 29 at the Kaufman CASA 
office, Wells Fargo Bank, 2100 S. 
Washington, Kaufman, TX 75142; 6:30 
p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30 at First Presbyterian
Church, 12433 FM 1641, Forney, TX
75126; and 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept.
1 at the Lone Star CASA office, 108
Kenway, Rockwall, TX 75087. For more
information, call 972-772-5858 or email
vickie@lonestarcasa.org.

Lone Star CASA will host a Sporting Clay 
Shoot from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 
27 at Pecan Ridge Outdoor Center, 8930 
FM 1390 in Scurry, TX, benefiting children 
of Rockwall and Kaufman counties. To 
learn more, visit the Facebook event page 
or email kaufman@lonestarcasa.org.

21

Back to School Edition 2016

BlueRibbonNews.com

Lone Star CASA to host 

Information Sessions

COMMUNITY RALLIES TO HELP 

ROYSE CITY GIRL CRITICALLY 

INJURED IN FIREWORKS ACCIDENT

BINGO FUNDRAISER SET FOR AUG. 21

Julie Klutts, Lone 

Star CASA Volunteer 

Best Health Club/Gym

Best Yoga Studio

Best Pilates Class

Best Summer Camp

jerchiltonymca.org • 972-772-9622

THANK YOU!

COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY

J.E.R. Chilton YMCA at Rockwall