8-Year-Old Cancer Survivor and Her Mom Pay it Forward to Honor Evansdale Cousins

When Sarah Werkmeister's daughter Jersey Barfels was diagnosed with cancer in 2011, the community rallied around them.

Thousands showed up at a benefit for Jersey and her family. People cooked meals and drove them to the hospital in Iowa City. One of Jersey's classmates, then just 7-years-old, brought $85 to school as a donation.

That classmate was Elizabeth Collins.

Last July, as Jersey's cancer was going into remission, Elizabeth, 8, disappeared, along with her cousin Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10. Lyric and Elizabeth were abducted from Evansdale last summer. Their bodies were found in December, and the search for their killer is ongoing.

The Collins, Cook and Morrissey family hardships were beginning just as Sarah and Jersey's were coming to a close. For Werkmeister, this was a chance to pay forward the support she got while caring for her sick daughter.

She has organized "The Concert for the Angels" to raise money to help build a memorial for Lyric and Elizabeth on an island in Meyers Lake, near where the girls' bikes were found after they disappeared.

"We live right by Meyers. It hasn’t healed and neither has the community," she said. "It’s time to move on and heal."

She and other supporters hope the memorial will be a step in that direction. Plans call for a gazebo, foot bridge and park.

The concert will be held Saturday at McElroy Auditorium in Waterloo, with the band Saving Abel as the headliner. Werkmeister's boyfriend Eric Taylor is the band's bassist.

But the concert has grown into something bigger than simply raising money to build a park.

"It’s just become about something more now," she said. "It's inspiring people."

As word of the effort has spread, people have begun donating, not just to the park but to each other. Or "paying it forward," a favorite phrase of Werkmeister's.

Tickets are $20, but Werkmeister knows many can't afford that price, including many who would gain some healing from attending a concert in the two girls' memory. Despite the fact that this is a fundraiser, she feels no one should be left out who wants to attend.

To that end, over 120 people have donated money to buy tickets for others. Donations have come in from across Iowa and all over the country. From Kentucky and Massachusetts and California. Even from Canada.

"To see all these stories and see all these random people - you couldn’t pay me all the money in the world for what I’ve gained from this," she said.

For Werkmeister, the response is all about spreading hope in the face of hardship.

"There’s just so much negativity, so many negative people," she said. "You can’t change them, but you can help people that are willing to be positive."

Dozens of local businesses have donated thousands of dollars worth of merchandise for a raffle. McElroy Auditorium is donating use of its space. The bands are playing for free. Local artist Paco Rosic designed 8-foot angel wings to adorn the stage. Two Waterloo girls, Breann Minikus, 11, and Taylor Stefancik, 10, have raised over $600 by making and selling friendship bracelets.

The list goes on. Cedar Valley police officers are also donating their time to serve as event security. Those officers will start the concert onstage for a "Heroes Row" salute to their service during the National Anthem. There will also be a station to register DNA for children to assist law enforcement if a child goes missing, as well as several musical acts, vendors and a raffle.

Werkmeister said Jersey is excited for the concert.

"I try to explain to people that if you do good for someone, do an act of kindness, it will come back to you," Werkmeister said. “Every day truly is a gift.”

The details:

Concert for the Angels

• Sat., April 20
• McElroy Auditorium
• Doors open 5:30 p.m.
• Tickets $20 in advance or $25 day of show
• Headliner: Saving Abel.
• Other bands: Lotus, Never the Less, Heartland Vineyard Church band, Lexi Chapman

Tickets can be purchased at any Hy-Vee location in Waterloo, Cedar Falls or Waverly, at McElroy's Box Office, at First Security State Bank in Evansdale, at Cobblestone Creek in Evansdale or at Poyner Elementary (cash only). You can also order online at www.angelsconcert.com. That is also the site where bidders can view an auction that will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Can't attend but want to donate? Visit the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa's Angels Memorial Fund page.

Want to "pay it forward" so someone else can attend? Donations can be made via Werkmeister's PayPal account at Sarahwerk29@aol.com.

Special "family packs" of five tickets for $50 will be sold Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Spicoli's Grill in Waterloo and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Lofty's Lounge in Evansdale.

Learn more at the "Concert for the Angels" Facebook page.