Classroom of Compassion will be traveling to Highland Park, IL on Tuesday, July 5th and creating six public altars to honor the seven victims lost yesterday during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, IL
(Above photo shows the altars we constructed in Buffalo, NY to honor the lives of the 10 people lost at Tops Supermarket.)
Help support us as we raise $5,000 for resources, supplies and travel. Your donation will directly support the emotional wellness as we hold public space for the affected families and the surrounding community as they enter their communal mourning
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We will also be setting up a healing youth pop-up space on-site, similar to the one we did in Uvalde, TX, where individuals will have the opportunity to put together a small floral offering, write a note, or create a drawing or painting and leave it as part of this growing community memorial. We hope to provide art resources that promote the healthy and safer expression of intense emotional experiences.
(Above photo shows one of our healing popups on-site for youth in Uvalde, TX. More than 800 kids stopped by to create a flower arrangement and small note to leave at the growing community altar space at Robb Elementary.)
Six Forever Altars (Materials, Photo Prints, Florals) : $3,000
Travel (Flight, Truck Rental, Lodging) $1,400
Workshop Materials $600
As an organization, Classroom of Compassion has stood firmly against hate crimes committed against groups of marginalized populations. We believe in the sanctity of life and work to honor the stories and memories of those lost in acts of violence. Please help us honor the lives of the six people lost.
Nicolas Toledo
Nicolas Toledo, 76, was among the victims, his granddaughter, Alba Toledo, 23, confirmed in Spanish in a message to USA TODAY, adding their family is "shattered."
"Believe me my grandfather was a great person, with an enormous heart, he was the best grandfather, loving, attentive," she added.
He wasn't sure he wanted to go to the parade, but his family — who had excitedly set up chairs along the parade route the night before — brought him to the event to watch in his wheelchair, another of his granddaughters.
He had eight children, a big smile and bright, blue eyes, Xochil Toledo told the Sun-Times. He liked a home-cooked meal and had a great sense of humor. Alba Toledo told USA TODAY her grandfather loved drawing, hunting, fishing and going for walks in the park.
"We only wish that he's remembered as a great person, a hard-working man, a great father and grandfather, charismatic, fun, a fighter and adventurer," she said.
Jacki Sundheim
Jacki Sundheim, 63, has been identified by her synagogue as one of the six people killed in the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois.
The North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe said in a statement Sundheim was a lifelong congregant and a member of the staff, having been a preschool teacher and events coordinator.
"There are no words sufficient to express the depth of our grief for Jacki's death and sympathy for her family and loved ones," the statement said. "We know you join us in the deepest prayer that Jacki's soul will be bound up in the shelter of God's wings and her family will somehow find comfort and consolation amidst this boundless grief."
Eduardo Uvaldo
Eduardo Uvaldo, a father of four and grandfather of 17, watched telenovelas every morning with his wife, Maria. He also made sure to catch Team Mexico soccer matches and Chicago Cubs baseball games. On Sundays, he would take his family out to breakfast.
Katherine Goldstein
A mother of two daughters in their early 20s, Katherine Goldstein was described by her husband, Craig Goldstein, as a perennial good sport who was willing to explore a succession of exotic locales without batting an eye. “She didn’t complain, ‘There are bugs.’ She was always along for the ride,” Dr. Goldstein, a hospital physician, said in an interview.
Stephen Straus
A father of two, grandfather of four and a financial adviser who, at 88, still took the train every day from his Highland Park home to his office at a brokerage firm in Chicago.
“He was an honorable man who worked his whole life and looked out for his family and gave everyone the best he had,” Ms. Straus said. “He was kind and gentle and had huge intelligence and humor and wit.”
Irina and Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy, 37, died protecting his son, said Michael Levberg, whose 35-year-old daughter Irina — McCarthy’s wife and Aiden’s mother — also was among the seven people killed as they watched the parade.
OUR PREVIOUS WORK IN OTHER COMMUNITIES:
Uvalde, TX.
Robb Elementary School
19 young students and 2 educators lost
Buffalo, NY.TOPS Supermarket 10 community members lost
More information about Classroom of Compassion: Classroom of Compassion's missions is to cultivate and re-imagine a more compassionate Los Angeles through immersive healing spaces and artist-led community co-creation workshops. We work to provide our city members with the tools and resources to not only remember and honor all those we have lost, but to celebrate our loved ones memories and stories with dignity and care. www.classroomofcompassion.com
