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DEVASTATED: Community Grieves & Rallies for Local Teens

May 9, 2025

Support | Resources | Updates

Our community grieves from the unbelievable tragedy involving six local teen girls on Friday, April 18th, 2025 when four Archie Williams High School girls were killed in the solo vehicle accident. Our thoughts, efforts, and prayers continue for these families as we compile information and ways you can help with links and resources below.

NEW INFO: (scroll down):  Offer to Families | Message to the Parents | Memorial Venues Offered | Community Support Groups | Pastoral Support | Free Yoga for Community | Memorial/Celebration of Life Music offered

UPDATE:

  • Town flags remain at half-mast
  • Archie Williams High School held a schoolwide memorial service, offering prayers, poems, music to honor the lost, hopes for the survivors, and begin to bring some form of closure to the events of April 18th
  • Burial and Celebration of Life services continue
  • Elsa remain hospitalized in critical care. Marley is recovering at home.
  • A continual outpouring of community love, support, and offers for services continue to be offered by wellness, healthcare, and therapy/recovery practitioners.

GoFundMe accounts were created by friends/relatives to support the families during these difficult times. In addition to these individual family funding options, Archie Williams High School created a singular donation GoFundMe account that will be distributed amongst the families.

GO FUND ME > (single-source fund to be divided across all the families):

100% Transparency: These verified donation sites were created by family, friends, as well as the Archie Williams Foundation to support the victim families directly. Creekside did not create any accounts; we are simply sharing these existing GoFundMe links where 100% goes to the families.

GO FUND ME > (Individual family accounts):

  • Elsa‘s family support and survivor’s fund will be received as a portion of the AWHS Foundation Fund per the family’s request (link above)
  • Sienna‘s mother (Peg, single parent) support and memorial fund > CLICK HERE
  • Josy‘s family support and memorial fund > CLICK HERE
  • Ada‘s family support and memorial fund > CLICK HERE
  • Olive‘s family support and memorial fund > CLICK HERE
  • Sienna‘s father (Rob, single parent) support > CLICK HERE
  • Marley‘s family support and survivor’s fund > CLICK HERE

MESSAGE FROM THE COMMUNITY >

Grief Counselors are on hand at AWHS…indefinitely, for this long path to recovery. This is certainly the most horrific event to hit our community, ever. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and survivors, and there are simply no words that can express pain of the loss of a child. As always, we will do whatever we can to support the families and community.

To Everyone at Archie Williams High School, we are so sorry for the loss of your classmates and friends. To the First Responders; EMTs, CHP, RVFD, MCSO. CMPA, FPD, and to the MCFD (the first and last agency on scene) … this was the worst day of your careers and personal lives; our gratitude to you for your service. To the AWHS staff, Tam District administrator, and counselors, this is the unthinkable challenge you have been trained for but Never expected to happen.

Moving Forward: As the tears continue to flow, pain eases a little more each day, and the hearts begin to heal, this massive loss is a most painful reminder to be quick to love, to forgive, and to cherish every moment of your life. Looking forward, this page is evolving from a emergency response and consolidated information site into a community bulletin of resources for anyone in need of help. We are here with you, our community, in mourning and support.

With our deepest sympathies,

Pat & Laura Townsley, Team Creekside employees, and your entire community.

NEW > Resource For Victim Families: Physical and Mental Fitness offer – Shared by Amy Dockus, The Cave

“I’m reaching out to see if we might be able to assist the six families of the young girls involved in the recent tragic car accident. As the Operations Director of The Cave fitness facility in Corte Madera, we’d like to offer these families complimentary access to our gym. We believe that healing can take many forms, and if the families are open to it, we would be honored to provide a few months of membership or allow them to participate in our classes or events. Our facility is designed to allow families to participate in activities together, with kids and adults often able to take classes at the same time. We offer a variety of classes for both kids and adults (ages 18 months and up) in areas like Gymnastics, Parkour, CrossFit, and Youth Strength & Conditioning. We also host events like Kids’ Night Out and Parkour Ninja Competitions. I understand that the families are likely being overwhelmed by outreach, and we certainly don’t want to add any additional stress. However, if it would be helpful for anyone in the family to take advantage of our services, we would be more than happy to offer support. Please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected]

With love and solidarity, Amy & The Cave Staff”

Public Notice & Resource: Mental Health Month – Shared by County of Marin, HHS.

May Mental Health Month is here in Marin County! This is a time to create awareness, build community and take steps to promote mental health for the helper—and those seeking help. Did you know that social connection is a primary factor for mental health and wellbeing?  Marin County HHS and Behavioral Health and Recovery Services and community partners are hosting over 10 different free events that invite connection, conversation, and collective healing. Just a few of those events are featured here and the rest can be found on the MMH Month page for the County.

  • Saturday May 3, 1:00-4:00 pm. Uplift for Transition Age Youth and Wellness by MCCT. > Register
  • Tuesday May 13, 5:00-7:30 pm. The Power of Connection: A Journey of Mental Health and Recovery with Kevin Berthia and Kevin Briggs at College of Marin > Register
  • Wednesday May 14, 1:00-4:00 pm. Nurturing the Nurturers: Building Strength, Hope & Community Healing at Spirit Rock with the Felton Institute > Register
  • Sunday May 18th from 9:00-2:00 pm. Youth Wellness Festival and Art and Film Showcase > Register

Teen Resource: Karma Club in San Rafael. Peer connection, empowerment, safe space, Study Zone, support. Ages 13 to 19. Free > MORE INFO 

Resources For All:  Home Yoga Studio and Wee Yogis is offering Free Yoga throughout the month of May at their studio in San Anselmo for anyone affected by the tragedy. Grounding, releasing, therapeutic, and FREE for Archie Williams students, AWHS teachers, and victim family members, you can sign up for ANY class for Wee Yogis (tot/kids’ yoga) and Home Studio (adult yoga) using the code AWHS when signing up in the “check out” section at Home Yoga Studio > CLICK HERE

Resources For All: Open Source Database > Therapists, Healers, & Practitioners – Shared by Ali Vogt, LMFT

Dear  Community, This is a list > (CLICK HERE) of therapists and other practitioners who have volunteered their services at a pro bono or reduced rate to those affected by the April 18th tragedy. This is for students, staff, parents/caregivers. Please make use of this list.

Feel free to contact anyone on this list and inquire if the reduced fee / pro bono slot is still available. Please ask clarifying questions about fees, longevity of services, etc to be sure the provider is the right match for you. A list of questions to ask a therapist to see if they are right for you is included in the document (the last tab).
If you need personalized help finding a therapist, please schedule a 15-minute meeting with one of the therapists listed below, who can help you navigate to the right type of therapist for what you are dealing with. Please toggle through the calendars to find a time that works for you.
With deep love and support to our community – Ali Vogt (and a whole bunch of folks that worked to put this together!). There is no need to suffer alone. Please share this list with others if you notice they need support. CLICK HERE

Adult & Parent Grief Support: Sundays > No Fee – Shared by Katelyn Vandever, ASW

In response to the recent tragedy, Fairfax Recreation and Big Life Change Therapy, and Katelyn Vandever (associate clinical social worker and local mom), are offering a space for the adults and parents of our community to gather, reflect, and support one another through the experience of grief and vicarious trauma. This space is open to anyone who has felt the emotional ripple effects of this event. Whether you’re feeling sadness, confusion, anger, numbness—or something you can’t quite name—your experience is valid and welcome here. FREE for the next Four Sundays; This 4 week opportunity is intended for adults. For more information or to sign-up, CLICK HERE

 If you are seeking support for children or teens, youth services are available through Archie Williams Wellness Center CLICK HERE to email Katrina Southard, LCSW, PPSC. or call 415-458-3407.

Community & Family Resource: Pastoral Care, Memorial Services – St. John’s of Ross

St. John’s of Ross is offers pastoral counseling with Clergy for any member of the community; all are welcome. For the families of the departed, St. John’s is offering memorial services and reception space. Fr. Chris Rankin-Williams, Rev. Heather Erickson, Rev. Skip Fotch, and the entire clergy, staff, and parishioners are grieving at the this unimaginable tragedy. For support of services inquires email [email protected] or call 415-456-1102.

Family Resource: West Marin Venue for Celebration of Life – Posted by Sarah Lewis

“Boylan’s Barn is (Boylansbarn.com) honored to offer their venue in beautiful West Marin to the families for Celebration of Life ceremonies, complimentary to all. Each family may have the space on separate dates for their own special day of remembrance. Coffee service will be provided.” Please have a family member or friend reach out to Mark and Elina Boylan if you would like to discuss planning an event at their location: [email protected]

Family Resource: Venue for Memorial Services and/or Fundraiser Offered by Mike Ghiringhelli – Shared by Susan Beran

“I have offered the Deer Park Villa venue as a place for a Celebration of Life, where we have dates open. There would be no charge for the venue and we can provide soft drinks as well. The services can be done separately for each family. We can also offer up the venue for any fundraiser or event that is related to the tragedy.” – Mike

Amazing. Thank you Mike. For inquires to the venue, please contact Vivian at Deer Park Villa > CLICK HERE

Family Resource: Memorial Service / Celebration of Life Music – Shared by Jocelyn Corbett

From: [email protected]
Message: “I represent the Marin Girls Chorus, a nonprofit youth chorus in Marin County.  Many of our students attend Archie and knew the victims.  Our heart just breaks for these girls and their families and community.  Our Artistic Director, Cole Thomason-Redus asked me to reach out to offer our services for any vigils or memorials free of charge. Our advanced ensemble has appropriate repertoire they can sing with very little notice. Samples of our work can be found on our website www.marinchorus.org and anyone interested can email me at [email protected].” 
Best, Jocelyn Corbett | Development Coordinator | Marin Girls Chorus

Manhunt: Survivors of the crash say they swerved to avoid another vehicle that crossed into their lane around a blind corner, causing their vehicle to crash into the tree. While CHP investigator are not able to share any details of their ongoing investigation, anyone with any insights or dash cams while being on SFD and/or San Geronimo Valley Road between 6:45PM and 8PM on Friday April 18th, that information could be helpful. Contact CHP directly with your evidence: (415) 924-1100 or 415-407-3924. Message on Facebook from Marin CHP > CLICK HERE

MESSAGE TO FAMILIES > To the Bereaved Parents and Siblings of Olive, Josalynn, Sienna, and Ada, and to Marley, Elsa and their families. “These Things Are True” – A note from a stranger

“Today, I will be with you. I will be with you, along with untold hundreds of other people you do not and will not ever know. We will be with you, grieving, searching for sense, knowing it could easily have been ours, aching with the imagining of your pain, your unspeakable loss.

Today and in the weeks to come, when inevitably we say the wrong thing, the worst thing, the clumsiest thing; when some of us can’t even bear to meet your gaze, or even, heaven please forbid, cross the street so as to avoid the encounter––please know that still, our hearts are breaking with yours. I know well and so, already, do you: There is not a single thing anyone can say or do that will ease the pain of these raw, early days, especially on this brutal day that begins your life After.
This may make you may feel more alone than you’ve ever felt. And in the days to come, you may feel even more alone, when some of the people you love fail you in ways big and small. And especially when the people you’re sure will be there for you aren’t, pain soothed by the people you never imagined would be are.
And to my fellow grieving siblings, now part of a terrible new club: I know that inevitably today and maybe always, your pain may feel overshadowed, outweighed by the weight and attention given to your parents’ pain. You know for sure that your lives have changed forever, but you may also fear that your parents won’t be able to go on. You may fear that you will lose them too.
You all may look ahead with a hole in your heart, a roiling in your stomach, your chest feeling crushed, trying to conceive of a life without them at your side, at your table, on the other side of a phone. You may think you will not be able to bear it.
But you will bear it. You will all bear it. You will bear it, just as me and my big brother and my own parents did, with strength inside you that you do not yet know you have. I don’t know you but I know you have already climbed so many other mountains in your minds and hearts. This is probably the biggest so far, but you will climb it and you will live to get to a higher and higher summits, so that you are able to breathe and take in the view of your life as you did in the Before.
And my fellow siblings, you, too, will find your way. And your parents will come back to you, and you to them. You all need the time and grace to grieve in your own ways. And to let each other know that you need each other’s love, even in the pain. And to know that you must take this trauma seriously — with ongoing support from friends, EMDR trauma therapy, professional help in any way you can — because burying your grief along with your child or sibling will mean burying a part of yourself.
Do you know what is the last and maybe most important thing that is true? It’s these five words carved into a slab of stone over which a river of water flows in my little brother’s memorial garden, Danny’s Garden, that my family and Danny’s friends built 29 years ago, a lifetime too soon. It says this: Love is stronger than death.
This, above all, I know to be true. That’s why your beautiful daughter, or your beautiful sister, will begin to inhabit your heart and mind in a new way. She will live in your thoughts and surface in your days in ways you can’t yet fathom. I can promise you this. I can bet my life on it. And so we are with you, all of us. May you be enveloped by the love of people you know and do not know. May you be comforted just a little bit knowing that our hearts are breaking with yours. And may the memories of Olive, Josalynn, Sienna, and Ada be forever a blessing.
And let this not be a footnote, but to Marley and Elsa, because you and your families have a different and excruciating, overwhelming journey ahead. First, we are so grateful you’re here, that you are alive. Our hearts break for the horror of what you lived through, for the horrific loss of your best friends, and for the complex journey of survival you have ahead. We are holding you in our hearts.
Thank you, Elana RB, Toby Pechner, Leo Fuchs, Stacy Laveson Friedman, David Marguleses, and all the hardworking staff at Congregation Rodef Sholom for always being there to hold our community through It all ❤️❤️“ – By Julie Fingersh, Shared by Rachel Kertz.
…Amen

Reports & Media:

Disclaimer: We received over a dozen DMs, three Facebook tags, and one news agency noting that a 5th victim had passed away; this (thankfully) was false news. Two teens remain hospitalized, but alive. As with any such tragedy, news, rumors, and tensions flair quickly. We have only reposted links that are public and/or have been sent to us for added visibility. The request for additional therapists has been fulfilled. That link and need is now done. Thank you.

This page is updated daily. We rely on information from the community to add appropriate and accurate information. We are providing this information as a resource to our community and to identify and consolidate donation efforts into a single site for external third party links. We apologize for any inaccuracies. We are doing our best in this time of crisis. We are also networking and connecting people “behind the scenes” to share resources. From everyone at Creekside, we thank you for sharing this page with others, contributing, and offering help. – With gratitude – Pat Townsley

Older Posts, Past Support: Programs, Messages, and expired posts

  • Wear Green & White Wednesdays. From San Marin High School to Southern Marin, students from all schools (and why not everyone in the the entire county) are encouraged to proudly wear Green and White in solidarity and honor for Archie Williams High School. So, everyone… Let’s do that! Be Falcon Strong! Wear Green & White on Wednesdays.
  • Expired Post April 23 & 24: A two day free drop in at Camp Arequipa for high school students navigating trauma and grief. The program offers youth-centered, non-clinical support including: Peer and adult presence, therapeutic massage, Reiki, and Acudetox, Philosophy Circles for meaning-making, Memorial art-making, Music sessions and therapy dogs. Future programs may happen. Contact Sally Newson [email protected] 415-847-2534.
  • MURAL OF HOPE > The Healing Begins: AWHS Student Mural Painting: This past weekend, AWHS students painted a 12 foot mural of love and hope. A second mural project is planned by local artist Michael Feldman  for students to share their creative tribute to the victims, families, and community. Times & dates TBA. Check back. The mural was presented to AWHS on Thursday, May 1st and will be displayed at the school memorial service until it finds a permanent home.
  • Family Resource: We have a growing list of local resident volunteers offering to help families, deliveries, household…whatever it takes. If you are a family member or family support representative and need… something, contact us at Creekside and we will do our best to connect you with those specific abilities and who might be able to help.
  • Local Heroes (updated): As the details become clearer, (via a post forwarded via Facebook (CLICK HERE) “To the best of the recollection of those involved, it was Wyatt Smith (20), Nick Grubb (18), and another brave man Joshua McHugh who broke the window of the burning car with a piece of wood. They reached inside and physically pulled Marley and another unconscious passenger to safety. These young men acted fast, with heart and instinct, and then passed Marley off to Gayle, who remained by her side.” – Sarah Marshall. Once the girls were out of the car, Gayle stayed with the girls, offering comfort in the middle the chaotic hellscape until First Responders arrived. Further documented on ABC7’s Instagram page (CLICK FOR VIDEO), this selfless, heroic, fast action saved the two girls. These people are Not seeking the spotlight, and have asked to keep 100% of the focus on the victims and families, noting there are counseling resources available for them if/when they need it.
  • Restaurants Rally: Meals for Victim Families: Local restaurants have been already donating and offering meal support including Comforts (Erin), Insalata’s (Heidi), Cucina s|a (Donna), The Hub (Rebecca & Gerry), Andy’s Local Market (Andy), Sorella Caffe (Soy & Sonja), Kuro Nami Japanese Kitchen, The Baan Thai Cuisine (Jackie), Marin Coffee Roasters (Tim), and Creekside. Not all families are on the MealTrain, so we’ve been networking to see where the restaurants can help the most. We’ve also been coordinating staff and admin meals for AWHS and RVSD schools throughout this event. Thank you San Anselmo restaurants, you are the backbone of the community.
  • Expired Post Community Resource: Free Sound Bath at Fairfax Pavilion May 4th – Shared by Tiana Baumsteiger. Message: “…A group of us healers are doing a Free Community Sound Bath on Sunday May 4th at the Pavilion for those who are feeling like they are ready to step into their healing from the tragedy that occurred in Woodacre.”  Sunday, May 4th at 6:30PM.
  • Community Resource: Professional Speaker on Grief for AWHS: Message: “I’m reaching out from the Living/Dying Project to see if and how we—and perhaps most specifically our Executive Director and Fairfax local, Dale Borglum—can be of service. Our organization, founded nearly fifty years ago, offers free spiritual support to people experiencing grief during and after life’s most tender transitions. We have a network of trained volunteers ready to offer support at no cost. Dale was invited to speak on a grief support panel for the broader school community following the Mount Hood disaster, where seven high school students and two staff members tragically lost their lives. He would be honored to offer something similar to the students, faculty, and families of Archie Williams.” – Contact Annabelle Scott (Bolinas) c: 831-620-5925 at Living/Dying Project
  • Expired Post: Youth Support: Tuesdays; five weekly meetings. No Cost – Shared by AWHS Wellness Coordinator Katrina Southard, LCSW #29001. Tuesdays 5pm-6:30pm. No Cost. 5 weeks (4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20, 5/27). Max 6 participants. Meets in-Person at 21 Tamal Vista Blvd, Suite 120, Corte Madera. The meetings will promote connecting and coping between group members. Each session will review a theme. Please call Eva Cantor, LMFT at 415-488-7668 or click to email at [email protected] and please register by Monday, April 28th. NO CHARGE

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