Birthday Party Raises Money For Military Family

EL PASO – There was lots of cake and party favors to go around at one birthday party on Sunday. But no presents were handed out, and that’s just what the birthday boy wished for.

Brandon Mina, who’s turning 8, told his mother he wanted his birthday party to be extra special this year. Instead of gifts, he decided he would ask his guests to bring cash donations to benefit a local military family who’ve suffered a major tragedy.

Two of Specialist John Austin Johnson’s childrendied last month when the car they were riding in rolled over. Johnson, who is stationed at Fort Bliss, had been receiving medical care in San Antonio. His wife Lisa and theiryoung familywere on the road to visit him, and they had just traveled past the town of Ozona, more than halfway to their destination, when their SUV crashed.

The woman wasn’t seriously hurt, but her two younger children, Ashley, 5, and Logan, 2, were killed instantly. The couple’s eldest child, Tyler, 9, suffered severe head traumaand was taken to a Dallas hospital for treatment.

The birthday party held Sunday in El Paso will help support the family. “I wanted to help them so they could get better,” Brandon said.

The boy and his friendsmanaged to raise just under $1,000, Brandon’s mother Lorraine said, and she added her family has never met the Johnsons. “I’m a mother. I have three children and I can’t even imagine what they’re going through,” she said. “We want to help them as much as possible.”

The money will be deposited in two separate accounts at First Light Credit Union, which helped the family with the first donation, in the amount of $10,000.

By Kevin Pytcher, with reporting from Doug Wernet