If you are truly grateful to that family then vote for helping them back through the means available to the company which is the issuing of compensating shares directly or indirectly through things like joining the board of directors or an advisory position to the board.
At least, unlike the hedge fund guy to whom you issued the shares in the financing (I am referring to the real thing not the faces he came through), if that family sells its shares it would be to make a gain instead of keeping the price under pressure. Had the shares issued in that financing being ready to be sold at our current time he would have not let this stock reach these prices not even in your dreams. After all this is how he kept the stock before he came to you to offer financing probably partly because he ran out on ammo (Although the level of corruption help he may get if he decide to cross the related lines in violating laws and regulations is far from being suitable for being underestimated no matter what).
