Fundraiser for family of Whitby man slain while leaving work nears $150,000 goal
Published April 19, 2023 at 4:30 pm
The fundraiser in support of the family of Mitchell Place, the Whitby man slain as he was leaving work last week, has nearly reached it’s $150,000 goal.
Place, age 29, was a hydro worker who was killed while leaving an Ottawa worksite on Apr. 13. He is survived by his wife Jaymee and three-year-old daughter Layne. Jaymee is currently pregnant with the couple’s second daughter, Hayden, due in four weeks.
“This loss is felt in the hearts of so many. He was truly a remarkable man and father who was taken from us far too soon,” wrote Place’s cousin Steve Glover who set up the Gofundme, “Mitch loved his family and friends above all else, and the outpouring of support that everyone has shown his family is truly amazing during this incredibly traumatic time.”
“To know Mitch was to love Mitch,” Glover continued, “Layne was the center of Mitch’s world and meant everything to him…Whenever Mitch walked into a room the room would light up. His huge smile and warm eyes were his trademarks. He was known as a man who would do anything to help people.”
“For example, he would show up at my 88-year-old mother’s home after a large snowfall and shovel her driveway or go around cutting all of the neighbour’s lawns on his days off work at no cost to those neighbours of course,” Glover wrote.
“We are all devastated by the passing of Mitch and the family was not prepared for the high costs of living without him being a provider for their family. We want to be able to provide stability for the next few months for the family and create a trust fund for Layne and her sister for their future education.”
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To accomplish this goal, Glover organized a Gofundme to raise $50,000 to support the Place family on Apr. 17. Donations flooded in and within hours the fundraiser had reached its initial goal.
“I woke up this morning to see the amazing results from only one day of support from all of Mitch’s friends, family, business acquaintances and even strangers that felt compelled to help Mitch’s family. Imagine raising $50,000 in one day.”
As a result he raised the goal to $75,000, hoping to reach this by the end of the week. This goal too was quickly reached by the following day with Glover reporting more than 700 donations ranging from $10 to $10,000 from Kellett family.
Glover again raised the goal to $150,000 this time hoping to collect enough funds to pay for Layne and Hayden’s future education. As of 4:30 p.m. on Apr. 19, only three days after the Gofundme launch, the drive has raised more than $126,000, putting the girls’ future education within reach.
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