A fundraising event for Moving Forward Adaptive Sports will be held Saturday evening at Casey’s in Whitefish, even though the founders of the nonprofit program are recovering from a vehicle accident in Denver.

The Cabin Fever Fest, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Casey’s, will feature live music from five artists, including Rob Quist, Guthrie Quist, Leif Christian, Eli Smith and Cameron St. James, and a performance by aerialist Danielle Calhoun. There will be auctions, raffles, dancing, food and live poker.

Starla Barnes and her husband, Shannon Barnes, started Moving Forward a year ago to provide opportunities for differently abled athletes. Starla was paralyzed from the waist down in a 2009 hit-and-run accident and has been an active mentor to others who are paralyzed.

The Barneses were in Denver so she could start a progressive therapy program, an opportunity for which she had waited six years. She also had been chosen as an ambassador for Project Walk Denver, a paralysis recovery center that celebrates its grand opening today.

The couple and their young daughter, Elissiah, were on their way to a Project Walk session in Starla’s father’s new Chevy 1-ton pickup when they were hit by another vehicle that was traveling around 70 mph.

“It pushed the box all the way up,” Starla said in a Facebook message to the Inter Lake Thursday evening. “Elissiah’s seat was against mine. We are surprised her legs are not broken. My wheelchair broke into a million pieces, so I no longer have a wheelchair.”

Starla said a piece of the wheelchair flew through the window and split open Shannon’s head.

“Shannon is still having double vision and is still a little confused,” Starla said. “He has to use a cane to walk and cannot work for a while; they said a month or two.”

Starla no longer has any feeling in her legs.

“We are hoping that it is just inflammation and that eventually it will come back, but they said it could be permanent, too. So praying to the Lord that it is not,” she said in her Facebook message. “We are going to have to figure out the wheelchair and finances for a while, but at least we are OK and alive at least. It just sucks to have come so far ... and stand on my own to now not be able to.”

Because she had experienced some feeling in her hips and legs and the damage to her spinal cord was considered incomplete from the 2009 accident, doctors had given her a 50-50 chance of one day walking again.

Elissiah had a cut above her eye and is sore, but otherwise was not injured. Starla’s mother flew to Denver after the accident and has been caring for Elissiah.

For more information about Moving Forward, go to www.neverstoprocking.com.