Support pours into grieving Oxford community. Here are ways to lend a hand.

Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press
·4 min read

In the wake of tragedy, a small town and neighbors nearby are linking arms to get grieving families the help they need.

Fundraisers for the families of four students who died last week in the Oxford High School shooting that left seven others, including a teacher, injured garnered more than $1 million in about a week.

An online campaign, started by five community members in Oxford and Lake Orion, lists in real time ways to help families and the town as they grapple with the aftermath of the shooting. It includes how to donate food, a letter-writing campaign for teachers and mental health resources for those affected.

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'Labor of love'

Last week, community members and local businesses began brainstorming ideas to help out, said Andrea Nienstedt, one of the organizers of the effort.

"We love our community, we love our neighbors, and that compels us to do whatever we can to rally around them — not just during this immediate tragedy, but in the days, weeks, months, and years to come," Nienstedt, of Lake Orion, said in an email Wednesday.

The group is in communication with businesses, residents, schools and families to assess needs and coordinate deploying resources. The need has grown exponentially, she said, and they are planning to recruit and coordinate volunteers. The website — updated every day — offers a list of events (some open to the public, others not), fundraisers and business efforts.

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"Everyone is doing anything and everything they can, because that's what people do here. They show up for each other, they take care of each other, they protect each other. I can't think of a better testament to the beautiful lives lost and the students, teachers, and families who were impacted — because what happened on Tuesday isn't who we are; everything that's happened since is," Nienstedt said.

Hundreds of volunteers are now behind the effort, said fellow organizer Matt Pfeiffer, of Lake Orion.

"Our overall mission is to protect and lift up and make sure that the kids of Oxford victims, families and students alike have a good future," said Pfeiffer, owner of Northern Wholesale Flooring.

The group has fed more than 5,000 people last week at funerals, memorial services, church services, schools and counseling areas. They've distributed roughly 15 pallets of food and drinks, and continue with deliveries. Small businesses closed in support, Pfeiffer said.

Nienstedt, who works a full-time job like others on the team, described the effort as a labor of love.

Fundraisers garner $1.3 million

Hours after the Oxford High School shooting, fundraisers launched to support families as they bore the financial brunt of medical expenses and burying loved ones.

Verified GoFundMe pages for families have raised more than $700,000, as of Thursday afternoon. By late Wednesday, Oxford Bank reported about $550,000 in its memorial and victims fund. The Genisys Credit Union, based in Auburn Hills, set up a donation account that has garnered $70,000, as of Tuesday.

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In all, that's roughly $1.3 million raised in about a week.

Marita Aragones Ossege, the mother of Kylie Ossege, a student who was injured in the shooting, relayed this message in her daughter's fundraising page: "I don’t believe that I would ever be able to find the proper words to completely express the gratitude and appreciation that I have for all the supporters. I am humbled by the generosity, kindness and love that we have experienced in the past week."

How to help

  • Oxford Strong website: Some of the most immediate needs are food and catering at counseling events and clear backpacks for students, organizers said. There's a call for volunteers at short-staffed local businesses and a letter-writing campaign for Oxford teachers. There's also a list of therapy events for people affected, businesses selling Oxford High School gear, and community support events. Organizers ask that the broader public not attend events organized for families of victims or students. Go to https://www.oxfordstrongcommunity.org/ for more information.

  • Oxford Community Memorial and Victims Fund: Oxford Bank, along with Oxford Community Schools and the Oxford Downtown Development Authority, are accepting donations for affected family members and to construct a memorial at the high school. For more information, go to https://bit.ly/OxfordBankFund.

  • Genisys Credit Union: The credit union has set up an account to help families and is working with Oxford Community Schools. To donate, people can visit Genisys branch locations in Michigan at https://www.genisyscu.org/locations; checks can be made payable to "Genisys Credit Union - Oxford Strong."

  • For a list of verified GoFundMe pages, go to https://bit.ly/OxfordGoFundMe.

Nushrat Rahman covers issues related to economic mobility for the Detroit Free Press and Bridge Detroit as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA.

Contact Nushrat: nrahman@freepress.com; 313-348-7558. Follow her on Twitter: @NushratR. Sign up for Bridge Detroit's newsletter. Become a Free Press subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Oxford school shooting: Support pours into grieving community