On July 3, the unimaginable happened to the Berry family on a remote highway in west Texas.
They were heading home to Houston from vacation when another car veered into their lane and hit their minivan head on. The parents, Joshua and Robin Berry, were killed. Two brothers, Peter, 9, and Aaron, 8, were paralyzed and remain in hospital. A sister, Willa, 6, suffered broken bones.
The tragedy has touched people across the nation. And now, celebrities including Britney Spears, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga are stepping forward to help.
Those three stars, and countless others, have changed their social-media avatars to an image of hands making a heart shape, and are urging fans to “Show Your Hearts” with donations at showyourhearts.org and via text message (texting BERRY to 85944 donates $10).
“Change your profile picture today & make sure to #showyourhearts,” Spears tweeted, with a photo of herself making the heart shape.
“It is a really sad story, but this is an opportunity for me and my friends to do something good for others,” says Bieber. “We can use our influence to do good. We are just doing our part and I hope those kids get something positive out of it.”
The boys suffered spinal injuries that caused permanent paralysis and will require long-term medical care estimated to cost millions of dollars. Fundraising efforts will benefit the Joshua and Robin Berry Children’s Trust.