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Schools

Skyview Elementary Collecting Money for Children Whose Parents Died in Murder-Suicide Incident in Oakdale

Skyview got hundreds of calls from parents and others who want to help the three children.

How to help: A fund has been established for the care of the three children whose parents and babysitter died in a murder-suicide incident in Oakdale. To send checks, mail them to: Almaraz Family Donation Fund, Care of Wells Fargo Bank, 670 McKnight Road, St. Paul, MN, 55119.

In the days after news broke that two parents and babysitter were found dead Thursday, Sept. 15, in a murder-suicide incident at an Oakdale home, hundreds of parents and community members called to ask how they could help the three children left without parents, said social worker Sari Giliuson.

In response, the school—working with the children’s grandfather, who is taking them in—established an account at Wells Fargo bank Thursday that will go toward clothing, school supplies, housing, food and other costs of raising the kids, Giliuson said.

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“We’re really looking for as much as possible,” Giliuson said.

Two of the three children attend school at Skyview—one in first grade, and one in third.

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The school has already helped raise the money for the funerals—which took place this week at the family’s Minneapolis church, Giliuson said.

Immediately after the incident, social workers and psychologists throughout the district met to decide how to serve the children involved and their classmates, she said.

Counselors were made available in the immediate aftermath, and are still on call, in case students need help dealing with the tragedy, she said.

“It brought up grief in some kids who have lost their own family members,” Giliuson said. “For some of the younger kids it was very scary—concerns of, ‘Is this something that might happen to my family?’ we saw some of that, as well as concern for the children.”

A committee of 12 staff members and parents is now working to plan a couple of fundraisers for the family throughout the year. Watch Oakdale Patch for updates on the fundraisers.

For more information on the fund drive, contact Giliuson at (651) 702-8105 or sgiliuson@isd622.org.

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