After the shock, solidarity. And gratitude. The parents of a 5-year-old girl killed last week by a bus driver in a Laval daycare center say they are moved by a wave of benevolence that surges in the wake of this tragic event.
At least four crowdfunding campaigns have emerged to support the eight families affected by the tragedy that occurred last Wednesday at the Sainte-Rose educational daycare center in Laval. Nearly $65,000 was raised to help families deal with their grief or to take time with their hospitalized “little angels”. Candlelight vigils also gave rise to moments of meditation in tribute to the victims and their parents.
Two children died and six others were injured when a Société de transport de Laval (STL) bus crashed into the daycare center last Wednesday. The driver, Pierre Ny St-Amand, faces nine counts, including two of premeditated murder. Five days after the tragedy, the reasons that led this 51-year-old man to commit this senseless act have not been revealed.
“We would like to express our deep sorrow and our affection for all the people directly or indirectly affected by this tragedy. We would also like to thank all those who have provided support, through their rapid interventions, their generous actions or their benevolent discretion. Your gestures touch us a lot and we are grateful to you, ”write the parents of little Maëva, who died in this terrible event.
In a letter sent to numerous media, the parents, Jessica Therrien and Nicolas David, describe their little girl as a “true ray of sunshine”, a “shooting star” who enchanted their daily lives. Maëva had a big brother and a big sister.
“Bustling with energy, she sometimes spent more time in the air than on the ground, when moving about, while being capable of attention and a deep calm during her activities. The days, according to her and in her company, were “too great” as only she could say so well. She was capable of anything, equipped with her extraordinary physical abilities and her disconcerting alertness,” the parents say.
They have good words for Sainte-Rose daycare, which “was for her a real living environment, where she loved to go to play with her friends”.
The little girl “had everything to become a committed and multi-talented citizen. She will continue to shine in her own way by what she has taught us, day by day, by the indelible memories she bequeaths to us as well as by the lessons learned from the unspeakable event that will have stopped her little heart… but which will not prevent her from remaining our little Shooting star forever, ”write the parents, taking up a title from the dashing Cowboys, Maëva’s favorite group.
“Healing the Wounds”
Four crowdfunding campaigns on the GoFundMe platform raised a total of $64,911 for families affected by the tragedy and for Sainte-Rose daycare. One such initiative was launched by Catherine Séguin, a colleague of Jessica Therrien. She raised more than $35,000 so that the family could “devote all their energies to healing their wounds and dealing with their loss”.
A family member told the Duty that the couple is considering donating to charity.
For his part, Jean-François Lafond, father of two children and bus driver, is trying to raise $80,000 to allow the eight families hit by the tragedy to “pay for a bit of comfort, a respite. A trip to Disney maybe or anything really, maybe they will have other needs”.
François Pelletier has launched a campaign to help the parents of little Julianna, seriously injured, to “stay at the bedside of their child as long as possible without worrying about the little hassles of life”.
As for Madjid Meghari, father of two children who attend Sainte-Rose daycare, he is raising funds that will be entirely donated to the establishment. He wants to help “the daycare, its staff and the families of the victims to rebuild themselves”. “This daycare is beautiful, its staff is dedicated and it spreads love every day. May this love continue to exist! For him, children are “little angels” to be cherished.