Silver Rail Parents in Bend Built a Fund for the Children Who Survived the Oct. 15 School Shooting, and Every Child Stays Eligible Until Age 25

Two weeks after the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, parents whose children were inside the school that day have built something they say did not exist: a fund just for the children who survived. The Silver Rail Children’s Fund launched on Oct. 24 as a volunteer-run Oregon nonprofit, KTVZ reported. It pays for outings, play, games and long-term support, and every eligible child can use it until their 25th birthday.

What Happened on Oct. 15

Police arrived at Silver Rail Elementary at 1:02 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. Three children and a teacher were killed in one classroom, and a 7-year-old and a teacher were wounded, KPTV reported. The 16-year-old shooter was found dead.

Money and support poured into Bend in the days after. The parents behind the new fund say much of it went where it should, to the families who lost the most and to the school’s response. What they could not find was anything built around the children who walked out of the building.

A Mother Who Had Two Children Inside

Nicole Ybarrondo, the fund’s director, had two children at Silver Rail that day. She told KPTV the goal is to help the children “feel like kids again.”

The fund’s first program, the Silver Rail Kids Fun Fund, pays local businesses and providers directly for things children and parents ask for, such as pumpkin patch trips, ski passes, museum visits, movies, board games and art supplies. Families never receive cash. The most urgent need right now is simple, KTVZ reported: board games, learning games and art supplies for children who are home with their families as winter comes.

Outings Bend Businesses Are Covering

Local businesses have already stepped in. Midtown Yacht Club is covering a pumpkin patch trip before Halloween. The fund’s website lists Pumpkin Patch Days from Oct. 28 to 31 at DD Ranch and Smith Rock Ranch, and a pizza day at Deschutes Brewery. The Oct. 30 pizza day filled up, and a second one on Nov. 4 was still open. A Kids Night Out at Mountain Air on Nov. 6 has 70 spots.

Eligibility is broad. Children enrolled at or present at the school on Oct. 15 qualify, along with their siblings and the children of staff who were in the building, according to KPTV.

Built to Last Until Age 25

The parents designed the fund for the long run. They say grief and fear can return years later, at an anniversary, a first sleepover or the start of middle school, and they want the fund to still be there when that happens.

It was built under the guidance of VictimsFirst, a network of mass shooting families that began in 2012 and now offers communities guidance, victims’ funds and practical support after mass violence. Its president, Anita Busch, lost a cousin in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting. Following that model, an independent three-person committee with no Silver Rail parents on it reviews every payment, and board members’ children cannot receive individual gifts while their parent serves.

Parents in the group also help other families with paperwork. Oregon’s Crime Victims’ Compensation program, run by the state Department of Justice, can cover counseling with a licensed provider, and families apply through the department.

How the Fund Accepts Gifts

The fund was incorporated in Oregon on Oct. 23. Its 501(c)(3) application and its Oregon charity registration are still pending, according to its website. Gifts made through its GoFundMe are not tax-deductible for now. Gifts made through VictimsFirst and designated for the Silver Rail Children’s Fund are tax-deductible, the fund says.

Businesses can add a “Sponsor a Silver Rail kid” option at checkout or offer group rates for outings, KTVZ reported. The parents have also asked that reporters not approach or photograph the children.

A pumpkin patch, a pizza night or a box of art supplies will not undo Oct. 15. The parents who built the fund believe those small things can still help their children find their way back to being kids.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Roc0ast3r – CC0/Wikimedia Commons