Scores of friends and family will be gathering today to launch balloons for a Provo native seriously injured last week in a private airplane crash.

The balloons will be let go simultaneously from several locations around the country as a tribute to Stephanie and Christian Nielson, said Stephanie's sister Courtney Kendrick.

A Cessna 177 carrying Mesa residents Doug Kinneard and Stephanie and Christian Nielson crashed just after takeoff Aug. 16 in St. Johns, Ariz. Stephanie Nielson is the daughter of Provo city councilwoman Cindy Clark and state lawmaker Stephen Clark.

Doug Kinneard, the pilot, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and later died. Kinneard leaves behind a wife and four children, ages 13 to 25.

Kendrick said the balloons will be let go with well-wishes for the couple attached. The celebration of the couple is inspired by a tradition Nielson and her husband have of letting balloons go at birthdays and special occasions.

"I worked for Partyland, and Stephanie was a regular," said Nielson's Provo High School friend Denae Holt. "I sold her balloons at least monthly."

Stephanie Nielson's influence has spread far across the country through friendships and through her blog, nieniedialogues.blogspot.com. Kendrick said many groups are planning to launch balloons in New York, Boston, Seattle, Hawaii, Germany and Spain.

"Everyone in the United States that is going to do it will do it at the same time," she said.

In Provo, friends and family will be gathering at the northeast pavilion in Kiwanis Park at 5:45 p.m., with balloons launching at 6 p.m. Holt said helium balloons will be sold for $1 apiece, with proceeds going to the Nielsons' recovery. Donations can also be made at Bank of America to the "Christian and Stephanie Nielson Rehab Fund," and at Wells Fargo to the "Stephanie Nielson Fund."

Holt said the event has grown since organizers had the idea, and some alternate methods of celebrating the couple have turned up. One group has made sailboats to set out on water, and some people in Hawaii plan to throw leis into the water as well.

"Everyone's kind of adapting it to what kind of environment they live in," she said.

Jesse Clark, Nielson's brother, said the balloon tradition has always been important to Stephanie and Christian Nielson. No matter where they are, they take time to release balloons for a special occasion. Clark said many people have commented that they know Stephanie only through her blog, but her personality and passion for life has been contagious.

"She's just a very genuine person and she loves life," he said. "I think that's why so many people are drawn in to her blog, is the way she lives her life."

Clark said the Nielsons and the Clarks are both very large families and many family members will be attending the Kiwanis celebration, including Stephanie and Christian's three oldest children, who will be attending school in Provo while their parents recover.

"We've got a large family, but I'm sure we'll be outnumbered by friends and well-wishers," he said.

Cindy Clark said the Nielsons are still in critical condition, with third-degree burns covering 70 percent of Stephanie's body. The recovery will be a lengthy process, but Clark said the couple are in the care of good doctors and nurses at one of the best burn centers in the country. In the meantime, she said the family has felt an outpouring of love from the community, and the family has come together to care for the couple's four children, aged 6, 5, 3 and 1. All four children will be living in Provo for the time being, and Cindy and Stephen Clark will be caring for the Nielsons in Mesa, Ariz.

"We're grateful for family," Clark said.