A little over two years ago, Nicole Polarek and her family left their favorite pancake restaurant in Highland Park, Illinois, and joined the crowds on the street to watch the city's Independence Day parade.
Within moments, a gunman fired from a nearby roof into the crowd directly in front of them. The attack ultimately killed seven people and injured dozens more – and although Polarek, her husband and three children escaped physically unharmed, their lives were changed forever.
When the Green Bay woman heard about Monday's shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, which left three people dead, including the young gunman, and several injured, she knew it was time To pass on the kindness she had shown to her family.
“It's really hard for people to know how to respond. What to feel, what to say, what to do. I decided to make up the 'what,'” Polarek said, because “even though I don't know anything about it.” People personally – I know these people.
Polarek is organizing a toy drive with items that it believes are particularly helpful in comforting and distracting children and young people immediately after a traumatic event. As of Wednesday afternoon, she told the Journal Sentinel that people had purchased more than 400 toys from her wish list, but the number was increasing by the minute.
The wish list includes squishmallows and other stuffed animals, fidget toys, art supplies and Play-Doh, as well as weighted blankets and pillows. They are similar to the items her children received from a makeshift community center after the Highland Park shooting, toys that she said made the children feel special and that she and her husband remember as parents would have helped during a difficult time.
Polarek began the trip informally, texting friends who in turn texted others. As word of the campaign spread, she reached out to businesses in Green Bay that could store the toys in case there were too many for her to take alone. At some point, she said, she will drive them to the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, whose staff will distribute them to families affected by the Abundant Life shooting. Your goal is to need a big truck.
When Polarek first came up with the idea, she thought it would be a sign that the people of Green Bay would stand up for the people of Madison, whether it was putting two toys or 200 into the hands of grieving children could lay. The response she has received so far is proof that “humans have a great capacity for empathy, love and generosity,” she said.
Today, her family is doing well thanks to the support of her community, including a therapist who specializes in trauma. Still, “we are all changed forever,” she said.
“When the headlines fade – and they will quickly – there is only a long road ahead for these children, teachers and students,” Polarek said. “I know the broader community response is important.”
This is how you help
People can access Polarek's wish list by visiting target.com/gift-registry/gift/madison-survivors-support-drive and selecting the option to have the toys shipped directly to them. Target gift cards can also be purchased.
Individual locations where donations can be made include:
Madeline Heim is a Report for America Corps reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact them at 920-996-7266 or [email protected].
