An area woman who won a $1,000 cash prize from an Alpha Media Salina radio station has donated over half of it to a local family, to help in their continuing recovery from a farming accident

Back on September 22nd Pam Boileau of Marquette won $1,000 while participating in radio station Y 93.7’s “5K a Day Cash Giveaway” contest.

Boileau tells KSAL News that after winning the money, she instantly knew that she was going to use it to pay some bills. It would take not quite half of the money to pay the bills.

Boileau says that she also knew what she wanted to do with the money that was left over, a little over $500. She wanted to give it to Zach Short, and his family.

Zach was injured in a farming accident on October 25th of last year. He was shocked, and badly burned, while trying to put out a small fire on a piece of farm machinery in a field south of Salina. An auger boom on the machinery had come in contact with overhead power lines, and charged it with electricity.

Zach was initially in critical condition, and it was unknown if he would survive. But after about 20 surgeries, including multiple skin grafts and the amputation of portions of both legs, he is slowly recovering.

Boileau, and the Short family including Zach, his wife Jodi and their daughter Brynlee, were all at the Alpha Media Studios in Salina on Monday. Boileau received her $1,000 from the radio station, and then immediately gave a little over half of it to the grateful family.

The family still has numerous medical expenses. Zach said that he is still seeing doctors in Newton, Wichita, and St. Louis. He is headed to a St. Louis hospital in early November, where he will undergo another surgery. It’s anticipated that he will be there for about a month and a half.

The money will help Jodi be with Zach while he is in St. Louis. “It’s such blessing to be able to be there with him,” she said.

Zach told KSAL News that the support he has received from family, friends, and the community “has been overwhelming.”

Boileau said that she had two purposes in donating to the family. “Obviously I want to help them,” she said. “But I also want to keep their name out there so people don’t forget about them.”

A fund to help the family has been established. Donations can made to the Short family at any First Bank Kansas location.