GoFundMe campaign started for local kids whose parents were killed

Local police and fire agencies began a crowdfunding campaign that has already raised more than $40,000 for three Arlington kids who were recently left parentless.

On Jan. 20 Tausha Schmidt and Justin Wilkerson were walking near 204th Street when they were hit and killed by a driver who is suspected to have been drunk at that time.

The two leave behind three children ranging from 8 to 17 years of age.

“Most of our staff came out that day to help because it was such a busy scene,” said Arlington Police Sergeant Peter Barrett. “One of our officers and one of our chaplains spent a lot of time with the kids there."

Those staff members looked at what the kids were going through and were concerned about the future for them.

The two older kids currently have aspirations to eventually go to college.

“They thought ‘what could we do to possibly help them out,’” said Barrett, and they proceeded to approach the Arlington police officers union and ask for some funding to start a campaign on GoFundMe.com, a crowdfunding website.

“The union president and the board actually got together for an emergency meeting,” said Barrett. “It all came together really quickly, within about 12 to 20 hours."

The GoFundMe campaign is online at https://bit.ly/3ukqRgd and is currently ongoing.

Funds donated to the site will be used to support immediate and future needs of the children and are being handled by the Arlington police officers union, the Arlington/Stanwood Union Firefighters Local 3438 and Northwest Incident Support.

As of Jan. 29 the total was about $42,000, with an additional $5,000 that the Arlington police officers union has committed but hasn’t officially transferred to the campaign yet, said Barrett.

“The overall goal is to hit $50,000 so we’re getting pretty close,” he said.

Barrett said many in the union were glad to help with the campaign.

“A lot of us are parents and I feel like this resonated with our officers because of that,” he said.

Police officers don’t often have the chance to make positive contributions after a crime, said Barrett.

“We go to some of these tragic events and we can make a difference at the scene,” he said. “But this is an opportunity for us to not just make a difference that day but also make a difference for the rest of their lives."

He hopes that the campaign can make a positive change in Arlington.

“Hopefully this continues to stay in the forefront of people’s minds,” said Barrett.

The suspected drunk driver has been booked into jail and the investigation was still ongoing as of Jan. 29.