Over 116,000 euros have been raised for the funeral of Jeffrey (10) and Emma (8). The bodies of the two children were found in a car together with that of their father on Tuesday evening.
More than six thousand people have donated. “Incredible that people have given so much so quickly,” says initiator Marleen Duit, who started the fundraising campaign on crowdfunding site GoFundMe on Wednesday morning.
The original target amount of 9,000 euros was reached after about two hours, after which the target was adjusted. At the end of the afternoon, the counter stood at 57,000 euros and on Wednesday evening at 90,000 euros.
The fundraising campaign was scheduled to close on Thursday at 12:00 PM. At that time, the counter stood at approximately 115,000 euros. Nevertheless, it was still briefly possible to donate afterwards, bringing the final amount to 116,425 euros.
The family of Jeffrey and Emma had given permission for the crowdfunding. Media are asked not to attend the funeral. “The family just wants to be able to say goodbye with friends and not with all the media present,” says a spokesperson for Namens de Familie, the organization assisting the bereaved.
It is not yet known when the funeral will take place. Duit thinks that a considerable amount will be left over and is consulting with the mother of Jeffrey and Emma as to where that money will go.
The bodies of the children and their father were found in a car in the water in Winschoten on Tuesday. The 67-year-old father had taken the children with him on Saturday afternoon. The police sent out an amber alert on Sunday because it was feared for the lives of the brother and sister.