More than a week after Kim Baucom Conover was fatally shot by her estranged husband, Kevin Conover, the community is still grieving and looking for ways to help.
Memorial services for Baucom, a beloved second-grade teacher, have been set for May 8.
The services for will be held at 1 p.m. at the Petaluma Valley Baptist Church, 580 Sonoma Mountain Parkway.
Community support for the four children left behind - the couple's 21 month-old twins and Kim Conover's two teenage daughters from a previous marriage - continues to grow.
Guided to Safety, a local group that works to end domestic violence, set up an account for the children on April 16, the day after the shooting, and $8,500 has already flowed into it.
Individual donations have arrived from across the country and the group is expecting another from Australia, according to Trisha Almond, a member of Guided to Safety.
Some local stores and restaurants are holding benefits over the next two weeks to raise money for the fund.
The first event took place last Thursday at Pongo's Kitchen & Tap on Sonoma Mountain Parkway, and in two hours, $1, 028 was raised, Almond said.
The next planned event will take place on Thursday, April 26, when Beyond the Glory will be hosting a similar, all-day event. A portion of the day's receipts will be donated to Guided to Safety's fund and every dollar raised will be matched by the owners.
On April 27, Ooh La Loft will donate 10 percent of the day's proceeds to the cause.
Another "dine and donate" event will take place on May 3, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Johnny Slowik, owner of Blu American Eatery and part of a family that owns several restaurants in Petaluma, is organizing it and has gotten several restaurants on board.
Anyone wishing to donate can also visit Summit State Bank and make a deposit in the name of Guided to Safety (GTS) Conover & Sullivan children, or mail a check to Guided to Safety at P.O. Box 4716, 94955-4716.
To learn more, visit Guided to Safety's website. The group is keeping an updated list of all the benefits: http://guidedtosafety.org/domestic violence/conover-sullivan-children-account/.
(Contact Jamie Hansen at Jamie.hansen@argus courier.com)
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