Thread: CERAN FAMILY FUND

CERAN FAMILY FUND



Since tragedy struck the Ceran family in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve 2006, many people have asked how they can help.

This is greatly needed because, in addition to the physical pain and tremendous emotional upheaval, it is estimated that the Ceran family will be facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs associated with this tragedy.

Please search deep into your hearts and pray for the Ceran Family. And, please reach deep into your pockets and give as much as possible.

This website has been established to provide a way to make it easier for those who care to assist the family by making a financial contribution.

Joint funeral services will be held Saturday, December 30 2006 at 11:00 am in the Cedar Hills LDS Stake Center 3950 West Cedar Hills Drive, Cedar Hills Utah. A viewing will be held prior to the funeral from 9:30-10:45 am.

Friends and family may also call Friday evening December 29 from 7-9 pm at the Cedar Hills 12th LDS Ward Chapel 10381 North Bayhill Drive (3850 West).




http://www.ceranfamilyfund.com/

The Cerans wish to thank everyone for their outpouring of love, prayers, kindness and generosity during their time of grief.

http://ceranfamilyfund.com/blog/

http://www.ceranfamilyfund.com/



Obituary for Cheryl
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/205051/

Obituary for Julianna
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/205052/

Obituary for Ian
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/205054/

Immigration officials believe Prieto is also in the country illegally.



Thursday, December 28, 2006
Community rallies together to help family PDF | Print | E-mail

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NATALIE ANDREWS - Daily Herald
His family watched as Gary Ceran laid Tiny Tim to rest in Scrooge's dream for the last time Saturday night.

It's a poignant scene for a father who has in reality buried five young children, said Hale Center Theater Executive Producer Sally Dietlein.

In the play, two of Bob Cratchit's children were Ceran's own, Caleb, 12, and Clarissa, 19, who are learning to love the stage as much as their father.

In the audience was the rest of the family, mother Cheryl, Ian, 15, and Julianna, 7.

Their last night together was spent celebrating the final performance of the Ceran family.

"They had their coats on and we hugged them and said goodbye," Dietlein said.

After some last-minute holiday shopping at Wal-Mart around 2:30 a.m., they were at 5400 South and 700 West in Murray enjoying thoughts of Christmas Eve when their Mercury Sable was demolished by a man police say was drunk.

Cheryl and Ian were killed instantly. Julianna was transported to Primary Children's Medical Center with Caleb, where she died.

Caleb has a broken pelvis and ribs. He was released Christmas Day.

The car wrapped around Clarissa Ceran's legs -- friends hope it doesn't shatter her dreams of dancing at Brigham Young University, where she attends school.

The driver was Carlos Prieto, 24, of West Valley City. Murray Police Detective Kenny Bass said that Prieto admitted to drinking five beers before the crash. He is charged with three counts of vehicular homicide.

This is Prieto's third DUI offense, according to charging documents. He is being held without bail until his first appearance in court, at which point bail will be $500,000.

Despite losing half his family, Gary Ceran is looking beyond anger.

"He said 'You know we have 100,000 people praying for us probably, but who's praying for the man who did this?' " Dietlein said.

Neighbors talk about the love the family had for each other. Plenty of friends heard the family laugh, but no one ever heard them yell.

"That family had been through fire together, into the depths," Dietlein said. "They were so closely knit, when they were in the room they were standing together all of them in the clump."

And while their family was just split in half, neighbor and former LDS bishop Greg Kofford said that the family sees themselves as much larger. As parents, Gary and Cheryl lost three other children ranging from 3 weeks old to 14 months due to a genetic defect, where the children were born with tumors on the brain stem. Twins born prematurely also died within a day of their birth.

Kofford said that the faith-centered family has the perspective that they are always a family, no matter the circumstances of death. He said that he watched when Gary Ceran, who was released from the hospital first, told his remaining children that their family was now three.

"They just said 'Well, we're still family, and we'll carry on,' " he said.

The family of local performers -- they've been in Savior of the World together at the LDS Conference Center and numerous performances at Hale and in Utah County -- are being honored by two special performances Friday night at the Hale Centre Theatre. "See How They Run" was set to start Saturday, but is opening early with two shows, one at 5 p.m. and one at 8 p.m. to benefit the Ceran family. Tickets are $15.

Because the performance wasn't scheduled, Dietlein said that 100 percent of the funds raised can go toward helping the family.

"We expect to have them completely sold out. We're half-full already," Dietlein told The Associated Press. "People have been calling for tickets and saying, 'add 200 dollars, 100 dollars, 50 dollars.' "

A family fund, under Gary Ceran's name, is also set up at Zions Bank.

Natalie Andrews is available at 344-2548 or nandrews@heraldextra.com.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=759871

This was posted in one of my Non-Immigration Related Yahoo Groups.


R/ Skip

-------------------------

A Christmas Eve Tragedy and how you can help...please.

To Everyone in my Email Address Book:

I do not wish to impose, but tragedy has struck my family. On 12/24/06, my brother Gary and his family were involved in a car accident in Salt Lake City, UT. His family car was struck by a drunk driver that took the life of two of his four living children and his beloved wife Cheryl. The tragic news has been all over the local papers, TV stations and web site. Since I am so far away from him, I am not able to come to his aid as a family member should.
On his behalf I encourage everyone to go to http://www.ceranfamilyfund.com/
Please visit the site, read the story and show support in any way you feel you can.

Thank you for your time. And please, if you will pass this on to all who you may know, for Gary's sake.

Sincerely,
---Dean Ceran
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
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http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/MIC ... message/90

my heart and prayers go to them.

This is a very sad story. Once again a horrific example of what devastation Illegal Aliens can cause.

Members of Ceran Family Buried Today

December 30th, 2006 @ 9:31pm
Whit Johnson Reporting

Family and friends of a mother and two children killed in a drunk driving wreck on Christmas Eve said goodbye today. Cheryl, Ian and Julianna Ceran were buried in West Valley City.

Three members of the Ceran family survived the accident, and through the tremendous loss they've endured they've shown incredible strength and forgiveness.

The Ceran family's love for theater comes only second to their love for one another. They've suffered tragedy before with the loss of five children, and now three more deaths.

Police say Carlos Prieto was driving drunk when he slammed into the Ceran family's car Christmas Eve, killing mother Cheryl, son Ian, and daughter Julianna.

Clarissa Ceran, Survived Accident: "As difficult as this has been, we've done this over and over again, but we've never lost our faith and we know that we'll get to see them again and we know how happy they are right now."

Today their bodies were taken from Cedar Hills Stake Center to a burial site in West Valley City, just yards away from the resting spots of the family's other children.

Gary Ceran, Survived Accident: "For me personally it's this little rock right here. You look into those eyes and I see them twinkling and the way he flashes that smile he just buoys me up so much."

Now father Gary Ceran, his son Caleb and daughter Clarissa will move forward as a much smaller but stronger family of three.

Marilee Roose, Friend: "The wonderful thing about the services today was to see their strength and their faith in the Savior and in their family."

The Ceran family is also very thankful for the support they've been given from the community. Benefit performances at the Hale Center Theater have raised more than $26,000 to help them rebuild.

VIDEO

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=765466#

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=765466

DUI tragedy leads to backlash

By Geoffrey Fattah
Deseret Morning News
Saturday, December 30, 2006

As the Ceran family prepares to lay a mother and her two children to rest this weekend, some Utahns are expressing outrage over the news that the man being accused of causing the tragic DUI crash is here in this country illegally.

Deseret Morning News graphic Since federal immigration officials confirmed that 24-year-old Carlos Rodolfo Prieto is an illegal immigrant, those advocating strict enforcement of immigration laws are saying this tragedy could have been avoided if lawmakers cracked down on illegal immigration.

Those visiting KSL-TV Ch. 5's Web site, KSL.com, have sparked a heated debate over the tragedy and its implications to the illegal immigration debate with over 200 posted comments.

"This guy was illegal and with most illegals they do not respect our laws. Why, because if they did they would not be ILLEGALS! I am a firm believer that there are many more that have committed or on their way to committing tragedies such as this," one KSL viewer wrote.

Others say the fact that Prieto is here illegally has no bearing on the fact that DUI is a serious issue on its own.

"This story is about a drunk driver. Why are we talking about immigration? Unfortunately, we are not all on the same page," another KSL viewer wrote.

"You don't have to be an illegal immigrant to break the laws on driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Alcoholism and substance abuse are equal opportunity addictions and do not discriminate based on race, religion, creed or gender," a different viewer responded.

The accident, anti-illegal immigration advocates say, is an example of the problems illegal immigrants bring into the country.

"I feel for the family," said Alex Segura, head of the Utah Minutemen Project, "but we can't forget that if he had not been in the country illegally then this man would still have his family."

On Thursday, prosecutors filed three counts of automobile homicide, a third-degree felony; two counts of driving under the influence and causing bodily injury, also a third-degree felony; and misdemeanor charges of DUI and not having a driver's license against Prieto.

Prieto is accused of running a red light at the intersection of 700 West and 5400 South early Sunday, smashing into a car carrying six members of the Ceran family, who were returning home from a Christmas party at the Hale Centre Theater.

Cheryl Ceran and her 15-year-old son, Ian, and 7-year-old daughter, Julianna, were killed. Husband Gary Ceran and two other children, 19-year-old Clarissa and 12-year-old Caleb, survived but were hospitalized.

Police say Prieto's blood alcohol level was over the legal limit of .08 percent. He is being held in the Salt Lake County Jail on $500,000 bail and a no-bail immigration detainer.

Federal immigration agents say they will wait until Utah's justice system has adjudicated Prieto before seeking his deportation back to Mexico.

"We wouldn't take custody of him until the time local authorities are ready to release him," said Virginia Kice, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Given the serious prison time Prieto faces if found guilty, Kice said it may be some time before his deportation becomes an issue. However, she said it will be up to the state to determine how much prison time is served before there is a deportation.

Some groups have claimed Prieto had been deported to Mexico once before. Federal immigration officials say they have no such record. "We have determined that he has no prior immigration arrest history and has no immigration record," Kice said.

Such groups have also claimed illegal immigrants are to be blamed for a large number of crimes in the United States. Segura pointed to a vague study that supposedly showed more Americans have died as a result of fatal DUI accidents by illegal immigrants than all the U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq.

"That sounds kind of far-fetched," said Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Jeff Nigbur, who said the state does not track which fatal DUI accidents are caused by illegal aliens. However, state DUI statistics show overall fatal crash fatalities related to DUI have actually fallen within the past decade.

From 1996 through 2005, the percentage of crash fatalities attributed to DUI fell from 27.4 percent to 13.1 percent.

However, some people have expressed concern that, if convicted, Prieto will not serve much prison time before being deported.

"If they just deport him he'll be back next week and he'll get off scot free. I hate to say this, because it's a waste of taxpayer money, but he needs to spend time in jail," Segura said.

Michael Clara, co-chairman of the Utah Hispanic Legislative Task Force, typically doesn't agree with the Utah Minutemen, but in this case he does.

"If undocumented people are going to be in the United States, we need to treat them with equity," including jobs and opportunities. Clara said this also should include serving punishment for crimes.

Clara said it's unfortunate that some have used this tragedy to further what he sees as racist feelings.

"We cannot use a broad brush against a whole class of race of people based on their national origins because of the actions of a few," he said. "I think it's bigotry."

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650219072,00.html

Tragic crash claimed mom, 2 kids

Community rallies for family

Theater benefit sells out, more donations flow in for the Cerans

By Nate Carlisle
and Michael N. Westley
The Salt Lake Tribune

12/29/2006 02:27:51 PM MST


Julianna Ceran was the 7-year-old girl killed with her mother and brother in a collision in Murray on Sunday. Because of incorrect information from police, The Tribune misspelled her name in several stories this week.

It will be a full house Friday night at the Hale Center Theatre in West Valley City. The theater elected to open its upcoming program a day early to benefit the Ceran family, which lost a mother and two children in a car crash on Christmas Eve.

Two additional performances of "See How They Run" sold out before 3 p.m. Wednesday after an announcement earlier this week that the theater would be hosting the benefit. Tickets to the 530-seat center-stage theater sold for $15 each - many of which had donations added on top, according to theater management.

The Cerans had just watched "A Christmas Carol," which featured several family members, and were heading to their Cedar Hills home when a suspected drunken driver plowed into their car in a Murray intersection. The crash killed Cheryl Ceran, 47, and two of her children, 15-year-old Ian and 7-year-old Julianna.

Cheryl Ceran's husband, Gary Ceran, 45, and their 19-year-old daughter, Clarissa, and 12-year-old son, Caleb, were injured.

Extensive news media coverage has led to an outpouring of support for the family. Gary Ceran told The Tribune Tuesday there had been a steady stream of visitors at the hospital where his children have been recovering. In addition to the benefit performances, a fund has been established in Gary Ceran's name at Zions First National Bank.

On Wednesday, meanwhile, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials placed a hold on 24-year-old Carlos Prieto, the driver of the truck that plowed into the Ceran family.

Prieto admitted he had been drinking prior to driving that night, according to a police affidavit filed with the Salt Lake County jail. Formal charges have not yet been filed.

ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said the agency suspects Prieto is a Mexican national in the United States illegally. Federal authorities have interviewed Prieto at the jail, Kice said, but she declined to say what Prieto told investigators.

An immigration judge could order Prieto deported after any local charges are adjudicated.

Prieto was booked into the jail on suspicion of vehicle homicide, drunken driving and other traffic violations. Jail records indicate Prieto has at least two previous drunken driving arrests. A judge Wednesday ordered him held in jail in lieu of $500,000, but the immigration hold could keep him in custody indefinitely.

A viewing for Cheryl, Julianna and Ian Ceran is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Cedar Hills Stake Center. A funeral is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m.

ncarlisle@sltrib.com
mwestley@sltrib.com

Prieto has at least two previous drunken driving arrests.

So why was he still here?