A GoFundMe campaign has been launched for a Victoria family after a 13-year-old tragically died on a field trip near Sooke on Wednesday.
On June 19th, Tainada ‘Tai’ Caverhill was on a field trip to Camp Bernard with his classmates from Lansdowne Middle School when a tragic accident caused a tree to fall onto a trail that he and other students were walking on.
According to the GoFundMe campaign, In Loving Memory of Tai, he was the first person to spot the tree falling down and alerted the group to run away.
While most of the students managed to find safety, Tai sadly died of injuries sustained in the incident, and one other teen was rushed to the hospital for critical care.
Three days later, on June 22nd, the Thai Kids Club of Victoria – of which Tai was a prominent member of – launched a fundraising campaign to raise money for his family and Tuberous Sclerosis Canada.
Within two days of launching, the campaign exceeded its goal of $10,000 to a total of $24,466 by 449 donors at the time of publication, with half of the funds going to Tai’s family and half to Tuberous Sclerosis Canada.
Tai’s younger sister, Lanna, is a patient of Tuberous Sclerosis and just before his tragic death, Tai took up a job at a local restaurant to help support his family and Lanna’s medical treatment.
“His kindness, loving, and caring for others significantly touched many groups of friends and families,” reads the GoFundMe campaign.
“His last words to his mum before he left to Camp Bernard was ‘take care of Lanna and Daddy for me’”.
Tai’s family has given Victoria Buzz permission to share this fundraiser with the community.
You can find and donate to the GoFundMe campaign online here.
A memorial service for Tai is also being held on Saturday, June 29th, at the McCall Gardens Funeral and Cremation Service.
Funeral Service for Tai
- When: Saturday, June 29th | Viewing from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., Service begins at 2:00 p.m.
- Where: McCall Gardens Funeral and Cremation Service, 4665 Falaise Drive
The family also posted a slideshow of Tai in his memory:
