GoFundMe for other children of slain Tumbler Ridge mother collects more than $25,000

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. — A GoFundMe campaign has raised $25,302 towards assisting three children left without their mom after the Tumbler Ridge school shooting.

Jennifer Strang was one of the victims of her daughter, 18-year-old shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar. She was killed alongside her stepson, Emmett, in a brutal attack which left nine dead, including Van Rootselaar.

Amy Johann of Grande Prairie, is described on the GoFundMe campaign site as “extended family” to Strang. She told Energeticcity.ca while not a blood relative, she knew Strang through Jennifer’s cousin, who is Johann’s sister-in-law.

She said she had a similar reaction to many when hearing about the news of the shooting on social media, that incidents such as this “don’t happen” in Tumbler Ridge.

“It was supper time on [February 10th],” said Johann. “I just was having a good old Facebook scroll while dinner was cooking. I saw lots of people sharing about an active shooter in Tumbler Ridge.

“I messaged my sister-in-law and asked, ‘hey, have you checked on your family?’ She just said, ‘yeah, it’s them, and I can’t talk right now.’”

Strang left three children behind, who are being cared for by their grandparents, according to the fundraiser. The post reads while the grandparents are there, “stepping into this role fully, especially in retirement, comes with significant financial strain.”

“I was thinking of these three kiddos,” said Johann. “Them losing two siblings and their mother, their whole life is different. I felt called to do something.”

Johann said she navigated the logistics of a GoFundMe campaign for the first time, having done traditional fundraising for her children for events at their school in Grande Prairie.

Starting with a goal of $28,000, the campaign has had 244 donations with a total of $25,302 as of Friday, February 20th.

Johann said she is “grateful” for the Tumbler Ridge Parents Advisory Council, which organized a separate fundraiser, collecting for funeral costs for the victims.

Johann’s fundraiser will go toward immediate housing and living costs, ongoing other needs and trauma therapy for the children in the wake of the sudden loss of their mother and siblings.

Donations for Johann’s GoFundMe campaign can be made on its website.