Silver Rail parents launch nonprofit offering support for students who survived tragedy

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A group of Silver Rail Elementary School parents has formed a nonprofit intended to provide experiences, activities, and long-term support to children who survived the October 15th shooting.

The Silver Rail Children’s Fund⁠ was created to help ensure every child who was inside the school during the shooting has access to resources intended to help them heal, organizers announced Saturday.

The nonprofit’s first program, the Silver Rail Kids Fun Fund, will pay businesses and service providers directly for activities and items requested by children and their parents. Those could include trips to a pumpkin patch, ski passes, museum visits, movies with friends, board games, or art supplies.

Organizers said no cash will be distributed directly to families.

The fund’s first outing, a pumpkin patch trip planned before Halloween, has already been covered by Midtown Yacht Club, according to the announcement.

The nonprofit said its most immediate need is for board games, learning games, and art supplies that families can use at home as winter approaches.

Fund leaders said eligible children will remain eligible for assistance until their 25th birthday, allowing the organization to provide support well beyond the immediate aftermath of the shooting.

“We can’t give our children back what October 15 took,” said Nicole Ybarrondo, a Silver Rail parent and director of the fund. She said the organization hopes to provide new memories and remain available to children in the years ahead.

The registered Oregon nonprofit is led by a volunteer board of Silver Rail parents and operates with guidance from VictimsFirst, a national organization that has supported families following mass-casualty events.

Each proposed distribution will be reviewed by an independent committee whose members are not Silver Rail parents, the nonprofit said. Board members’ children cannot receive individual gifts while their parent serves on the board, and those involved are completing trauma-informed training.

Businesses interested in helping can add a “Sponsor a Silver Rail kid” option at checkout or offer group rates for activities. They can contact the organization at hello@silverrailchildrensfund.org.

Community members can learn more or donate through the Silver Rail Children’s Fund website⁠ or its GoFundMe fundraiser⁠.