A GiveSendGo campaign for the family of the Michigan shooter

[Stargazer]

So far, $61,000 has been raised on a goal of $100,000. Link is: https://www.givesendgo.com/helptheSanfordfamily

 

[Calm]

Good, it deserves its own thread.

 

[Calm]

You okay if I (or someone else who is less distractable) add the links bsjkki put up for the victims of the shooter here or would you prefer a separate thread (I am bad at making decisions today lol)?  Not sure if you want a discussion with this (needs its own thread) or want to publicize it (could share, but maybe not…title should be changed to include both maybe if so…)

Edited October 1, 2025 by Calm

[JLHPROF]

A good percentage of donations appear to be from Church members.

Just another reason I love this Church.

[Okrahomer]

19 hours ago, Calm said:

Good, it deserves its own thread.

 

I noticed several news article about this this morning -- here is one:  https://nypost.com/2025/10/01/us-news/mormons-raise-180k-for-family-of-michigan-lds-church-shooter-thomas-sanford/

I just checked the GiveSendGo account:  $197,000+

I also had a look at GoFundMe -- there are several fundraisers for LDS shooting victims there, including one for the 2 young physicians who were attending Church that day -- both with significant injuries.  Another for a brother who was shot 3 times -- it all just breaks my heart.

[Stargazer]

21 hours ago, Calm said:

You okay if I (or someone else who is less distractable) add the links bsjkki put up for the victims of the shooter here or would you prefer a separate thread (I am bad at making decisions today lol)?  Not sure if you want a discussion with this (needs its own thread) or want to publicize it (could share, but maybe not…title should be changed to include both maybe if so…)

I don't have a problem with that. Title is pretty long, as it is...

[Okrahomer]

I thought this article in the Detroit Free Press this morning might be of interest.

[Calm]

4 hours ago, Okrahomer said:

I thought this article in the Detroit Free Press this morning might be of interest.

Quote

The wife of Thomas Jacob Sanford, the man police say launched a fatal attack on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, is scared, said Katie Hamilton, Sanford's sister.

Some people harassed her sister-in-law after the attack, Hamilton said. Now, the widow needs to move her child and mother to a new house — they don't feel safe in what was supposed to be their forever home. 

 

I really, really, really hope no Saints are doing this, but if they are, someone needs to stop them, including by pulling their recommends if necessary if they have them.

And if someone is doing it on the behalf of the Saints because they are mourning with us, please find a better way than hurting yet more innocents.  If you need someone to harass to vent your pain, then go online where there is hate and harass others with respect and love so maybe there will be someone who chooses the caring path rather than the hating path.

Great article, Okra.  Glad to hear from his family.

Edited October 2, 2025 by Calm

[MorningStar]

There are such weird reactions to this. People have said it might encourage more violence because it's rewarding murder. Oh brother! The shooter wasn't rewarded. He's dead. He did this knowing he would end up dead. 

[JVW]

The campaign is over 300k now with a 500k goal. To be very clear, I think that the sentiment expressed is quite beautiful, and I'm glad this campaign exists. But there are a few things that aren't sitting right with me as time has gone on.

1) Why do they keep bumping up the goal? The total pool of money that will be donated to anyone involved in Michigan is limited, and as the goal has increased and the pool has grown it's dried up donations that could go to, you know, the actual victims.

2) If we take a step back and look at the situation it could be interpreted by someone as follows. "The guy may have wanted to die by cop. The group of people he chose to take out with him ultimately took care of his family after he was gone. So if I went crazy and wanted to die by cop, if I attack Mormons then I know my wife and kids will be taken care of by the victims." I feel like it's possible that the virality of this campaign could literally incentivize future attacks.

3) The guy who was shot and has had two surgeries and will be undergoing a third in order to not die. His "gofundme" type campaign has only raised 16k... I don't have a list of all other campaigns for other victims in the attack, but they are all equally non-viral and pitifully inadequate to help the actual victims of this massacre.

4) "Love your enemy" has been kind of the tagline of this campaign. I don't know, but I wonder, is throwing money at the enemy the same thing as loving them? Will the campaign have the same kind of impact that a single Michigan victim visiting her home with a freshly cooked meal and crying with her will have? Perhaps, but I think it's worth considering. Put another way, as a hypothetical Ukrainian supporter who views Russia as my enemy, should I donate money to Russia to express my love for them and withhold donations to Ukraine because I'm "with them" already?

5) My biggest, and perhaps only, real grievance with this whole campaign. Many of the people who are sharing it, and many who are donating to it, are using this campaign to basically say, "Not to brag but look how great and loving I am, and how great and loving my church is. I'm so humble. Look at me." I really like the Pareto principle so I, by default, am assuming that 20% are these humblebraggers, and there are 80% who aren't sharing or bragging about it. It literally feels like watching the modern day equivalent of Matthew 6:1-2 "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."

I understand that the Church has resources, and I will give grace and assume that the Church is using the resources to help the victims. But it feels like the actual victims are kind of getting the shaft here.

[bluebell]

3 hours ago, MorningStar said:

There are such weird reactions to this. People have said it might encourage more violence because it's rewarding murder. Oh brother! The shooter wasn't rewarded. He's dead. He did this knowing he would end up dead. 

I saw an interview that Butler gave, and he said that he’s had people calling him evil and complaining that he didn’t start one for the actual victims.

[bluebell]

1 hour ago, JVW said:

The campaign is over 300k now with a 500k goal. To be very clear, I think that the sentiment expressed is quite beautiful, and I'm glad this campaign exists. But there are a few things that aren't sitting right with me as time has gone on.

1) Why do they keep bumping up the goal? The total pool of money that will be donated to anyone involved in Michigan is limited, and as the goal has increased and the pool has grown it's dried up donations that could go to, you know, the actual victims.

2) If we take a step back and look at the situation it could be interpreted by someone as follows. "The guy may have wanted to die by cop. The group of people he chose to take out with him ultimately took care of his family after he was gone. So if I went crazy and wanted to die by cop, if I attack Mormons then I know my wife and kids will be taken care of by the victims." I feel like it's possible that the virality of this campaign could literally incentivize future attacks.

3) The guy who was shot and has had two surgeries and will be undergoing a third in order to not die. His "gofundme" type campaign has only raised 16k... I don't have a list of all other campaigns for other victims in the attack, but they are all equally non-viral and pitifully inadequate to help the actual victims of this massacre.

4) "Love your enemy" has been kind of the tagline of this campaign. I don't know, but I wonder, is throwing money at the enemy the same thing as loving them? Will the campaign have the same kind of impact that a single Michigan victim visiting her home with a freshly cooked meal and crying with her will have? Perhaps, but I think it's worth considering. Put another way, as a hypothetical Ukrainian supporter who views Russia as my enemy, should I donate money to Russia to express my love for them and withhold donations to Ukraine because I'm "with them" already?

5) My biggest, and perhaps only, real grievance with this whole campaign. Many of the people who are sharing it, and many who are donating to it, are using this campaign to basically say, "Not to brag but look how great and loving I am, and how great and loving my church is. I'm so humble. Look at me." I really like the Pareto principle so I, by default, am assuming that 20% are these humblebraggers, and there are 80% who aren't sharing or bragging about it. It literally feels like watching the modern day equivalent of Matthew 6:1-2 "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."

I understand that the Church has resources, and I will give grace and assume that the Church is using the resources to help the victims. But it feels like the actual victims are kind of getting the shaft here.

I’m with you and that I don’t think they should keep bumping up the amount. I think once they have reached their goal that they should be able to ask people to donate to the actual victims.

And I agree that at this point it’s starting to look a little self-aggrandizing. 

Edited October 3, 2025 by bluebell

[manol]

1 hour ago, JVW said:

The campaign is over 300k now with a 500k goal. To be very clear, I think that the sentiment expressed is quite beautiful, and I'm glad this campaign exists. But there are a few things that aren't sitting right with me as time has gone on.

1) Why do they keep bumping up the goal? The total pool of money that will be donated to anyone involved in Michigan is limited, and as the goal has increased and the pool has grown it's dried up donations that could go to, you know, the actual victims.

2) If we take a step back and look at the situation it could be interpreted by someone as follows. "The guy may have wanted to die by cop. The group of people he chose to take out with him ultimately took care of his family after he was gone. So if I went crazy and wanted to die by cop, if I attack Mormons then I know my wife and kids will be taken care of by the victims." I feel like it's possible that the virality of this campaign could literally incentivize future attacks.

3) The guy who was shot and has had two surgeries and will be undergoing a third in order to not die. His "gofundme" type campaign has only raised 16k... I don't have a list of all other campaigns for other victims in the attack, but they are all equally non-viral and pitifully inadequate to help the actual victims of this massacre.

4) "Love your enemy" has been kind of the tagline of this campaign. I don't know, but I wonder, is throwing money at the enemy the same thing as loving them? Will the campaign have the same kind of impact that a single Michigan victim visiting her home with a freshly cooked meal and crying with her will have? Perhaps, but I think it's worth considering. Put another way, as a hypothetical Ukrainian supporter who views Russia as my enemy, should I donate money to Russia to express my love for them and withhold donations to Ukraine because I'm "with them" already?

5) My biggest, and perhaps only, real grievance with this whole campaign. Many of the people who are sharing it, and many who are donating to it, are using this campaign to basically say, "Not to brag but look how great and loving I am, and how great and loving my church is. I'm so humble. Look at me." I really like the Pareto principle so I, by default, am assuming that 20% are these humblebraggers, and there are 80% who aren't sharing or bragging about it. It literally feels like watching the modern day equivalent of Matthew 6:1-2 "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."

I understand that the Church has resources, and I will give grace and assume that the Church is using the resources to help the victims. But it feels like the actual victims are kind of getting the shaft here.

 

10 minutes ago, bluebell said:

I’m with you and that I don’t think they should keep bumping up the amount. I think once they have reached their goal that they should be able to ask people to donate to the actual victims.

And I agree that at this point it’s starting to look a little self-aggrandizing. 

 

Perhaps the shooter's family, as recipients of this go-fund campaign's proceeds, will donate generously to the shooter's actual victims.  

[Calm]

3 hours ago, MorningStar said:

There are such weird reactions to this. People have said it might encourage more violence because it's rewarding murder. Oh brother! The shooter wasn't rewarded. He's dead. He did this knowing he would end up dead. 

I can see where someone might think someone who was dying or thinking of killing themselves but was worried about their family would do this, but given the horror of what they have to go through, the fear for their own lives, what notoriety that kid is going to be living with the rest of his life most likely, whatever money or financial security they get will not balance out the loss of emotional security.  It’s an insane idea and anyone that actually would use it as justification to massacre people is far gone enough any idea justifying that act will work.

[Calm]

2 hours ago, JVW said:

Why do they keep bumping up the goal?

Most likely because the kid has a chronic disorder that will require medical treatment the rest of his life most likely and that is costly.   Getting enough so it can be put in a trust fund for him would be a great idea, imo.  Donating to a child whose outlook is rocky is a common behaviour.

I do agree the ones who were shot should be supported at least as equally much.  They need support as well, even just the emotional recognition that they matter to others….maybe especially that recognition. People are probably thinking they are in a better financial situation to begin with and may have exaggerated ideas of what the Church helps out with or believes the Church should make exceptions in this case…which I would not feel bad about.

I wonder if some LDS might think the Church will be sure to take care of them and see themselves as doing what’s is needed by contributing to fast offerings?

I think there is a good chance many LDS are still contributing to the shooter’s family because they want to convey they really don’t hold that family responsible, they don’t want them to feel guilt or shame, but I may be projecting here.

I have just eaten breakfast and my brain has been mostly offline.  I probably wouldn’t be posting this last thought that popped into my head otherwise, but I am currently obsessing about the Pew Research that shows LDS as the least liked…about the why when the stereotype is we are really nice people which generally translates to at least likable, if not ‘I would like to hang out with them’, so why not in this case?   Not obsessing about the dislike itself though my preference would be it’s not there, but I grew up with this knowledge of dislike, so used to it…..anyone think it’s possible the general dislike of LDS is why the fundraisers for the LDS victims aren’t as significant?

Edited October 3, 2025 by Calm

[Calm]

32 minutes ago, manol said:

Perhaps the shooter's family, as recipients of this go-fund campaign's proceeds, will donate generously to the shooter's actual victims.  

This would be a very good idea.