Remembering Kim by helping others

Krista Mueller says the LCCVI community plans to help people in memory of a former student.

Kim Anderson McGuire was one of two people who died in a massive car accident on the 402 in late February after a wall of snow blinded drivers.

Mueller, a teacher at LCCVI, knew McGuire well. She was active at LCCVI when she was a student as a leader of the ‘Beyond Ourselves’ group and as a member of the cast of The Wizard of Oz. She was also a Nicol Scholar and a YMCA award winner. But Mueller says she was best known for her heart for others.

“Kim was the leader who was always putting others first,” she says. “People were shocked (by her death) and you really don’t know what to do or what to say.”

So the group has decided to channel their feelings into helping others. There will be a silent auction at the school Thursday evening between 5 pm and 7pm while parents are at the school for Parent/Teacher Interviews.

The students have collected lots of items, everything from tickets to plays at Victoria Playhouse Petrolia and Huron Country Playhouse to pies baked by students and chocolates handcrafted by staff at the school who knew McGuire.

Mueller says anyone can attend the auction and they hope they can raise enough money to help a number of charities. First, there will be some money heading to Camp Hermosa – a summer camp which McGuire loved. They’ll also be choosing to help children around the world by granting their simple dreams through a group called I Am One Are You. Mueller also hopes a scholarship can be set up in McGuire’s name.

“This was something that we could do in a practical way,” says Mueller. “This is a real, positive way for people in the community and students here who still know her to cope in a good way.

“This would be something she would do for other people.”