Car wash honors dreams of shooting victim
Jamie Doran/Valley Press Allison King, left, and Felicia Earhart, right, soap up a car at the car wash they helped organize last Wednesday. The Plains seventh-grade students held the fund raiser to send money to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Seattle in Michael Tasakos’ name. Tasakos was killed along with his mother by her boyfriend, who committed suicide, Aug. 9. According to the students it had always been Tasakos’ dream to either open or donate a lot of money to a children’s hospital.
It had always been 12-year-old Michael Tasakos’ dream to either donate money to a children’s hospital or to open his own children’s hospital. Sadly, that dream came to end Aug. 9, when Tasakos and his mother, 37-year-old Alexia Laslo, were shot by Laslo’s boyfriend, Israel Keyes, 39. Keyes then took his own life.
Tasakos’ classmates decided to help him reach his dream, even if he couldn’t be a part of it. Last Wednesday, a group of Tasakos’ seventh-grade classmates held a benefit car wash in Plains at the Conoco Service Center. All the proceeds from the car wash will be donated to the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Seattle.
The students washed 41 cars during the eight hours, raising $531 to send to St. Jude’s in Tasakos’ name.
Denise Earhart, mother of one organizer Felicia Earhart, said students organized the whole event. She explained that she was just there to help out and collect money.
“It was the kids’ idea to do it and they really wanted to put this on,” Earhart said.
Felicia Earhart said raising money for a children’s hospital seemed like the perfect thing to do in his memory.
“Michael was a wonderful person,” she said. “This was something that all of us, as his classmates, wanted to do for him.”
Students who took part in the car wash included: Earhart, Nicole Rehbein, Breanne Weatherly, Misty Lindbo, Connor Ruosch, Allison King, Carly King and Sakoya LaDeaux.
King said that even though she had only met Tasakos a couple of times she was happy to help.
Even though the circumstances surrounding the car wash were somber, the students seemed to have a really good time washing cars, spending time with one another, and occasionally getting a little carried away with the water hose.
“This was a whole lot of fun,” Ruosch said. “I really had a good time.”
Felicia Earhart said Tasakos was a great classmate and a great person.
“We will all miss him a whole lot,” she said.
Allison King echoed those sentiments.
“He was a a really good friend,” she said. “It is awful that this happened to him.”
Denise Earhart said she was proud of all of the students.
“It is just great to see them do this,” she said. “I couldn’t be prouder of what they’ve been able to accomplish and how they wanted to really honor their classmate. It is just so great that they wanted to do this.”
Earhart said they were all overwhelmed by the local support they had received throughout the day.
“The community support has just been absolutely great,” she explained. “Even if people didn’t know him, they’re still coming out and donating money.”
Earhart said that there were many people who didn’t have time or just didn’t want to participate in the car wash, but still wanted to donate money to the cause.
“We’ve had people driving by and see the girls holding the signs on the side of the road and just pull over to hand them money, because they want to do something,” she said.