The people of Lower Salford Township, Lansdale and Souderton are mourning this week after the tragic deaths of six family members, and the serious wounding of another on Monday.   Two young girls taken from their Lower Salford home and brought to Pennsburg by their father, the accused source of the mayhem, are now without a mother. 

                Fear in Pennsburg exploded to levels never felt before in that town as the thought that the killer may still be stalking the area where he lived, and was last seen on Monday morning, swirled in their minds.

                Police hunkered down for a long, painstaking effort to locate and subdue the murderer who was believed to be armed and extremely dangerous.

                Many schools were "locked down" for a day and some didn't open until news that the reported murderer was found and could harm no more.

                Now, seven people are dead, one is seriously wounded and thousands of people in upper Montgomery County wonder "Why did this happen?"  We know how, but why?

                Was the assailant, a reported Marine veteran who served for a short period in Iraq, a victim of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) who snapped?  Did he recently loose his Veteran's Administration status as a sufferer of PTSD?  Did he file an emergency request for custody of his two children because his ex-wife recently entered a drug abuse treatment program?  Was the reported custody battle more than that?  Were there any signs leading up to the horror that unfolded?  Were pleas for help unrecognized or unanswered?  What was the trigger that set off the whole chain of events?

                These are among the many questions that will need to be answered.  Learned individuals, who mankind lays its future upon, must be charged with finding answers about these tragedies.        

                Why do they happen and how can we prevent them?

                For now, a Stone and Flick Children Fund has been established through Univest Foundation in partnership with WordFM and Souderton-Telford Rotary Club to raise funds for the Stone daughters and for Anthony Flick, the 17-year-old victim who was seriously injured during the attacks.  You can donate by going online to WordFM.org to make a general fund donation via online payment; or send checks payable to Univest Foundation and designate "Stone & Flick Children Fund" in the memo line.  Mail to Univest Foundation, 14 North Main Street, PO Box 559, Souderton, PA 18964.  Individuals who wish to donate to direct funds to one of the children, please include their name in the check memo line.

                According to a press release issued by Univest Corp, donors can be assured that their donations will be secured in a private account, growing with interest until all funds are designated to the children.  A funds management team will be formed to handle the disbursements. 

                For more information on the collection fund, please visit WordFM.org or Souderton-Telford Rotary.  Questions related to donations should be directed to Univest Foundation at 215-721-2405.

                Now, we will continue to weep for all of the victims who died or were hurt in this horrible tragedy.  But, we must also hope that we, as people, can find a way to keep this from ever happening again.