Hide Article Text (OCR)
saw mTownJulleanna Lauer, the mother of one of the three young girlskilted in a tragic hit-and-run accident last May, displays theirStar photo by Warren Skalskiphotos ori a dresser in her home. Pictured from left are Courtney Lauer, Cari Sanaghan and Sheena Acres.Poems comfort victims’ familiesBy Ciystai YednakThe sudden loss of Sheena Acres, 12; Courtney Lauer, 12, and Cari Sanaghan, 11, prompted several of the girls’ close friends to express their feelings through poetry and creative writing.What follows are excerpts from a poem written by Cari Sanaghan’s friend and neighbor, Kerrie Morris-Bryant. Kerrie writes of what her friend Cari might have said after the accident.Sam Morris, Kerrie’s mother, said her daughter wrote it the day before the girls’ wake to let Cari Sanaghan’s mother know that everything would be OK.“She felt that she knew Cari so well that she would have known what Cari would’ve said,” Morris said Friday. “She just poured her heart into it.”Now we’re leaving, MomLeaving the house quietly,As we sneaked outside, MomLeaving for the road,Now it's time to say good-bye, Mom. 1 wish I could iookyou in the eye. To say these final words. Mom. I love you; l*msorry; Good-bye.”We didn’t think we’d do any harm. Cause the way you raised us,So responsible and sweet.As you tried CPR on me, Mom,I wasn’t breathing well.You tried to make me breathe in and out,But nothing came about.Tell Erin not to cry, Mom.Tell Daddy to be brave.I’m up in Heaven now, Mom,Tell everyone we’re OK.I’m glad Sarah is alive, Mom..I’d rather it was me.Thanks for trying to save us, Mom.Sheena, Courtney and me.Now it’s time to say good-bye, MomI wish I could look you in the eye.To say these final words, Mom.I love you;I’m sorry;Good-bye.Several students from Courtney’s sixth-grade class at Parkview School in Steger sent the Lauers the following poem. Julieanna Lauer, Courtney’s mother, said the poem especially touched her because it addressed Courtney’s tom boyish nature.What follows are excerpts from the poem; missing is a paragraph which touches on the students’ anger at the accident that took their friend.She was a warrior, a fighter, a ball player, one of the boys.See POEMS, Page A-4spiritconfrontstragedyBy Ciystal YednakFriends are people who care,Friends are people who are alwaysthere,Som£one who you can trust,That’s never let out to rest,Friends are people you can adore,That’s what friends are for.Cari Sanaghan wrote this poem for her literature class just a week before she, Sheena Acres and Courtney Lauer were killed in a hit-and-run accident in rural Crete Township May 26.The community that rushed to help her grieving family and friends proved Cari’s words true, raising money for the funeral costs and holding benefits for the families.Cyndie Sanaghan, mother of the 11-year-old Crete Township girl, said the response from the community has been amazing.“People I don’t even know have been incredibly supportive,” she said Thursday night.She has stories to support that statement. Like the one about a group of chil dren who donated $38 that they made through sales at a lemonade s Cyndie Sanaghan said she was especially touched by the handmade card signed in the crooked handwriting of a child.Students at Balmoral Elementary School in Crete, where Sheena and Cari were both sixth-graders, set a shoe box in the main office for students to donate money. School officials said the students collected approximately $200.And the donation drive for the Crete Children’s Fund demonstrated how much the tragedy impacted the community.Crete Prosecutor Stanley Pagorek said the efforts to raise monev for the funer-al and burial costs have proven successful. Pagorek, who helped institute thefund at the First United Bank of C said he had a large box of cards to to the families from people who donated money to the fund.The families received cards from peo-I £■» I *PTVPpie in3„Sft*? V,fgrthern suburbs as15'11hoiSee TRAGEDY, Page A-4
Newspaper Details
Crete Star
Crete, Illinois, US
Sun, Jul 14, 1996
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
AR, USA 27 Mar 2021
Other Publications Near Crete, Illinois
Crete Star
