The cartooning and animation communities recently banned together to help the family of Tim Hodge, a former Disney animator and a writer and director on the very popular Veggie Tales series. I don’t know Tim personally, but being a big fan of animation, and a HUGE Veggie Tales fan, his work has influenced me greatly over the years. I got to meet him when he came to speak at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and I was blown away by his enthusiasm and excitement in sharing his passion for art and animation with others.

Now we have an opportunity to help him and his family during a serious time of need. The following is from helpthehodges.com

On August 22, 2009 Matthew Hodge, the 17-year-old son of former Disney story artist and Big Idea productions director Tim Hodge, was in a serious auto accident. A train struck his car at 50mph as he was crossing the tracks. While Matt suffered neither broken bones nor any internal organ damage, he did receive severe head trauma causing him to remain in a state of coma today. Matt is a high school senior, a straight A student, and a drummer in his state championship marching band.

Being self-employed, the Hodge family has short term medical insurance that will not fully cover all of their bills. Additionally, with the care they are giving Matt, full-time work is not possible for Tim right now. This loving family is relying on their faith and the love of family and friends for their survival. This is a tragic accident that will forever affect their lives as the road to recovery for Matt may be a long one.

The National Cartoonist Society Foundation has set up an ebay auction in support of this cause. The list of contributing artists is too many to list here but many of the items for auction are simply amazing! (Original Charlie Brown art drawn by Charles Schulz anyone?) I highly encourage everyone to head over to helpthehodges.com for more information on how you can help today.