Donations are pouring in for the family of the 11-year-old Osoyoos boy who was killed on Easter Monday by two large dogs in Edmonton.
Family members of Kache Grist have organized crowdfunding efforts with hopes of raising $40,000 for funeral costs and other expenses.
The boy attended Grade 5 at Osoyoos Elementary School and was pronounced dead at the scene, Edmonton police said. He was visiting family in Alberta for Easter weekend.
More than $10,200 has been raised, as of Thursday afternoon, April 4.
“This is a huge and unexpected expense that they do not have funds to cover,” reads the fundraiser, which was organized by Robyn Black on behalf of the boy’s grandmother, Nancy Pearson. “Any help at all will be greatly appreciated. Let’s help give him a beautiful goodbye.”
READ MORE: Large dogs seized after Osoyoos boy killed visiting Edmonton home
Marcus Toneatto, School District 53 superintendent, said the district’s critical incident team was immediately notified of the situation and developed a response plan to support the staff and students.
“Due to the nature of this tragedy and the young age of the student and their peers, the school and district would ask for privacy as we work to support students and staff, and for the family who is now dealing with their loss,” he said in a statement to media.
Police responded to the scene Monday evening, April 1. They did not identify the breeds of the dogs.
Edmonton city officials said the dogs were seized and taken to the local Animal Care and Control Centre.
Fundraiser organizers have since thanked the community for their “overwhelming support,” as the number of donations reached the 150 mark on Thursday afternoon.
“All of the donations, shares, messages and offers truly mean so very much,” Black said. “It is incredibly difficult to process this tragedy and all of you coming together in these ways is absolutely amazing.”
The GoFundMe page can be found here.
— with files from The Canadian Press