TUMBLER RIDGE – The mining town of Tumbler Ridge was rocked after a shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, and as the shock wears off and grief intensifies, groups have launched fundraising campaigns to support victims' families. On Tuesday, 18-years-old Jesse Stang (legal name Van Rootselaar), a biological male who had begun transitioning to female, shot and killed eight victims and injured an additional 25, before ultimately dying of self-inflicted wounds. B.C. RCMP have announced that the eight deceased victims included Abel Mwansa, 12, Ezekiel Schofield, 13, Kylie Smith, 12, Zoey Benoit, 12, Ticaria Lampert, 12, and Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39, Jennifer Jacobs, 39, and Emmett Jacobs, 11. Following tragedies such as this, people around the world often offer financial support to those affected. To help facilitate this, community members have created campaigns on GoFundMe, an online fundraising platform, to enable individuals around the world to donate and trust that their donations are going to the intended recipients. The following is a list of some campaigns that have been set up to support some of the victims from the Tumbler Ridge school shooting, as well as the overall community. Just click on their names for details..Kylie Smith."Our family is forever broken," reads a quote found on the campaign website. "Kylie, our sweet, loving, artistic, passionate little woman-in-the-making. We will never again see your smiling face, or hold you tight. We wont see you grow into a woman, or even a teenager. We won’t be at your wedding, although you'll still be at ours."The campaign honouring Smith aims to raise $18,000 to support her family, who have been among the more outspoken following the tragedy. "Kylie, our world will never be the same without you. We will miss your crafting messes, your beautiful little on-pitch hum when you are singing softly while drawing. Knoxx will never play Minecraft with you again, Ethan will never again bug you for stealing his style," another quote from the website reads."You are gone, but i know beside us in spirit always. Our family will grieve you forever. We love you so much. Rest easy, Kiddo.”.Ticaria Lampert."Our small beautiful town has had a devastating time with this mass shooting and one of the victims was our neighbours daughter," reads a quote from organizer Kenesha Mercredi on the campaign website. "Ticaria (tiki) was such a loving, courageous, humorous, one of a kind kiddo and her life was cut short at only 12 years of age."Mercredi is a neighbour of Lampert's mother, who is a single mom to Ticaria and her seven other siblings. The campaign was created to help ensure that the mother does not have to worry about finding the money to give her daughter a proper funeral. "My boyfriend and I (along with a whole other army of people) have been doing our best to take care of the kids, Sarah and their situation but I wanted to make this go fund me in hopes that we can make sure Sarah doesn’t have to worry about the expenses of this tragic event," Mercredi wrote on the website. The campaign's goal is to raise $45,000. .Zoey Benoit."Our beautiful Zoey, our daughter, sister, niece, grand daughter and friend," reads a portion of a statement released by the RCMP on Thursday from Benoit's family. "She was so resilient, vibrant, smart, caring and the strongest little girl you could meet."This campaign has been established by Corey Mackie, the sibling of Benoit's mother, Lori Hayer. "We are looking to raise money to support Zoeys mom and dad Lori & Angad, Zoeys siblings Logan and Skye who will forever be effected by this," reads the campign website. "Something that no parent or sibling should ever have to go through. Any donation will go towards all costs associated with bringing Zoey home to her family and support the their ongoing journey."Mackie's goal is to raise $30,000. .Abel Jr. Mwansa."He was a respectful and kind young man who loved his family and Jesus," a quote from Uche, a fried of the Mwansa family and campaign organizer reads. "He was active in the community playing soccer, around the neighborhood and he loved going to school and church. He would always greet you with a smile and wanted to know how you and your family are doing."Uche created the campaign to help raise funds for the family to "provide a proper final resting place for their sweet boy, Abel Jr., without financial burden."The website claims that all of the money donated will be transferred to Mwansa's father. The campaign goal is to raise $45,000. .Ezekiel Schofield ."The room where Ezekiel Schofield once laughed is unbearably still- he was a son. a brother. a nephew. a cousin. a friend, and my grandson," a quote from Melody Ross Schofield, Schofield's grandmother, reads. "At just 13 years old, Ezekiel’s heart was still forming its biggest dreams. And in one violent moment during a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, those dreams were stolen and his life was taken."Ross Schofield started the campaign to try to help the family cover funeral costs, as well as the expenses from missing work, counselling, and other financial burdens. "This fundraiser is about helping a shattered family avoid the crushing financial strain that follows unimaginable loss such as this," a quote from Ross Schofield reads."It is about giving them the space to grieve without the added fear of how they will manage, because right now his parents are drowning.. and together, with your help, we can be the hands that keep them afloat."This campaign's goal is to raise $7,500. .Shannda Aviugana-Durand."Shannda was a devoted wife, a proud and loving mother, a caring friend, and a deeply valued member of this community," a quote from campaign organizer Jennifer Hunt reads. "She carried warmth, patience, and compassion wherever she went. She was the kind of person who showed up for others, offered comfort without hesitation, and gave her love freely."Aviugana-Durand was a teacher at Tumbleridge Secondary School. Hunt created this campaign to help cover funeral arrangements, living expenses, and provide time for the family to grieve without having to worry about finances. The goal is to raise $13,000. .Maya Gebala and Paige Hoekstra Gebala and Hoekstra were both airlifted to BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver following the incident, and they are recovering from injuries there. As of Thursday, Hoekstra is in a stable condition, but still recovering after being shot in the chest. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help her family cover the expenses of travelling and taking time off work to be with her in Vancouver, as well as the further medical treatment that she will need. Gebala has been in the hospital fighting for her life after being shot in the head and neck. As of Thursday afternoon, she had been able to kick her leg and move her hand, according to her mother. A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help support Gebala's recovery and allow her family to be with her, and it has raised over $352,000 as of Friday. Further campaigns have been established to help support the community of Tumbler Ridge. The Tumbler Ridge Parent Advisory Committee has established a campaign to help meet the "urgent" needs of the victims' families. As of Friday, the campaign has raised almost $450,000.
