The summer of 2012 in Northbrook was a traumatic and tragic time. Three teen deaths followed each other quickly in succession before the summer even began. If you lived here, there was almost a palpable heaviness in the air. As a community... we grieved for the boys and their families.
Kyle Caraher was one of the boys that died last summer in a car crash. He was entering into his senior year at Glenbrook North and seemed to have touched hundreds of people in his short life.
Throughout this past year, many teens grieved for Kyle. His Facebook page has continued to receive posts from his friends about how much they miss and love him.
It was those teens, Kyle’s friends, that wrote a story about Kyle in the September 28th issue of the GBN Torch.
The article talked about how Kyle had, almost secretly, been spending the last two to three weeks of his life designing and drawing a treehouse that he wanted to build with his friends. He was passionate about it.
After Kyle died, Kyle’s mother learned about the treehouse. She knew he was working on something, but didn’t know what it was. And when she saw the actual drawing, she was just in awe. She felt that she had to build something to memorialize Kyle and his memory. She kept thinking that this was ‘Kyle’s Dreaming Tree.’
A little less than a year after Kyle’s death, Kyle’s Dreaming Tree was started.
Everyone said that Kyle was just like a big kid. He loved life. He loved laughing. He loved his friends and he loved children. Every year, he helped with his heart, his soul and his strength at the St. Norbert Block Party. He would set up tents, help with the popcorn booth, pick up garbage... anything that needed to be done... Kyle did it.
Kyle attended St. Norbert grade school and junior high. St. Norbert Parish was a full and complete part of his life. And when Kyle’s parents learned that the playground at St. Norbert desperately needed to be rebuilt, they asked if that is where Kyle’s Dreaming Tree could be located.
Every part of this story has just fallen into place. It seems to be that this has been in God and Kyle’s hands from the day that original Torch story was written.
Many people have given their hearts, their time and their money so far to see that Kyle’s treehouse is built. This fundraiser seems to have tied a community together that was shattered last summer.
We are all helping when we all have felt helpless...
- A three-on-three tournament raised over $1,000 last week.
- Kyle’s Dreaming Tree logo was donated by a woman who lives in the Phillippines.
- A young lady expressed an interest in hosting a Zumba fundraiser.
- Two fundraisers have been organized independently at Meatheads on June 6th and at SuperDawg.
- Sunset Foods is donating its popcorn truck for the sidewalk sale.
- The Bobby Stark Foundation donated $500 all the way from Texas because they heard of the organization through Facebook.
- A landscape architect offered to actually build the treehouse that Kyle designed.
- We have had donations of flowers and shrubs.
- Over $11,000 has already been raised towards the building of Kyle’s Dreaming Tree.
And while Kyle’s Dreaming Tree will be at St. Norbert, this is not a St. Norbert Fundraiser. This is a chance to provide a memorial for someone that lived and breathed on that playground. This is to remind us of the person that loved those kids and who wanted to make this world a better place for them.
This Saturday is the St. Norbert Block Party. And many of us know there will be a huge void that day. Kyle will be dearly missed, but he will be felt by all.
Please join us on Saturday to support Kyle’s family and his friends. You can make a donation at the door, stop by my booth... or just take the time to go online right now and donate... Kyle's Dreaming Tree
Our community is trying to heal... together.
To learn more about Kyle's Dreaming Tree, watch this video by his mother, Karen Caraher.
Kati Spaniak is a Real Estate Broker and longtime Northbrook resident.
