The community in Manton is organizing a fundraising dinner to support the two young children of Rebecca Park — a 22-year-old pregnant mother who was found dead on Nov. 25.
Park’s biological mother, Cortney Bartholomew, and stepfather, Bradley Bartholomew, were charged with her murder.
What: Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser for Rebecca Park
When: Saturday December 13, 6:30 -8:30pm
Where: Manton Consolidated Schools "Ranger Room"
Martha Snyder, who owns the Cedar Creek Café in Manton, is helping lead the fundraising effort.
“Rebecca was a customer of mine, and I had been waiting for her to come back,” Snyder said.
Instead, she watched the community absorb the shock of Park’s disappearance and the later confirmation of her death.
“There was a lot of speculation,” Snyder said. “I could never shake the ominous feeling of something tragic. I couldn't shake it.”
She was at the restaurant when the the news came that Park had died.
“Customers were here. They fell apart,” she said. “Men that have been to war and seen the worst of the worst could not fathom such an evil act. Nobody still can.”
Snyder says the fundraiser aims to create a trust for Park’s two surviving children. Supporters from around Michigan — and even out of state — have reached out.
“I would like to see something good happen," Snyder said. "I just want to see some kind of nice stories instead of sad stories everywhere you look. It's sad, sad, sad.”
The fundraiser is scheduled for this Saturday at Manton Consolidated Schools. It will feature a bake sale, silent auction, and dinner.
