Family of slain Naperville teacher organizes 40-mile walk, fundraiser for violent crime victims

Whether it's accomplishing a personal goal or setting up a scholarship fund, Bruce Wild has set out every year to honor the memory of his son.

The 2012 stabbing death of Shaun Wild, a beloved Naperville teacher, sent shock waves from the community where he started his career to his Wisconsin hometown and beyond. Loved ones have spent the past seven years trying to make sense of the tragedy and, in turn, have met several other families who have experienced similar loss.

In searching for the next opportunity to extend Shaun's life of service, his parents and siblings decided to make their efforts more public this year through a fundraiser for victims and families affected by violent crimes.

Bruce Wild plans to depart about 10 a.m. May 17 on a 40-mile walk from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, where his son began his college career, to North Central College in Naperville, where Shaun graduated in 2011. Relatives, friends, mentors and others who knew and loved Shaun are expected to join in the weekend-long journey.

“We want to raise awareness of violent crime and what it does to families. That's really our goal,” Bruce Wild said. “We've met lots of folks just like us who are in the same circumstance. It's a shout-out to all of them and just that we feel your pain and we back you.”

In conjunction with the walk, the Wilds have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the National Compassion Fund, a National Center for Victims of Crime program that distributes donations to victims of mass casualties. The organization has helped those affected in tragedies such as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and mass shootings at NIU, Columbine, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook.

The Wild family's GoFundMe has raised more than $1,300 in seven days and is expected to stay open for about a week after the walk. Participants also plan to order “Walk for Shaun” T-shirts.

“Violent crime is indiscriminate; it knows no borders or boundaries. It affects all demographics of race, sex, religion and national origin,” the Wild family said in a written statement. “The effects on families are devastating both emotionally and financially. The effects are life-changing and long-lasting. Each step of this journey is dedicated to the memory of the victims and to build solidarity with the survivors who must carry this burden for the rest of their lives.”

Originally from Brown Deer, Wisconsin, Shaun Wild was in his first year teaching second grade at Spring Brook Elementary School when he was fatally stabbed in a downtown Naperville bar on Feb. 4, 2012. His killer, Daniel Olaska, was sentenced to 43 years in prison in 2015 for what prosecutors called a “senseless” crime.

Maureen Kincaid, an education professor at North Central, said she had seen Wild during an alumni event just hours before his death and spent the evening reconnecting with him. The next morning, she received a call saying he had been killed.

“It was a really good life lost early,” said Kincaid, who supervised Wild when he was student teaching. “He had that perfect balance between the instructional piece of being focused on meeting all students' needs, but then understanding the importance of a relationship with them outside of the academics. He just got it.”

As a victim of gun violence when she was in high school, Kincaid said she's been recently “rejuvenated” to help survivors of workplace and school shootings and other violent crimes. When she saw the Wild family's fundraising efforts, she said, she jumped on board.

“This is a near and dear cause for me,” said Kincaid, who plans to participate in the 40-mile walk. “I love the fact that the Wilds are carrying on not only (Shaun's) memory but are now paying it forward to help other families and people who have suffered from these kinds of experiences.”

Community members from North Central, Spring Brook and all other interested parties are encouraged to participate, the Wild family said. Updates on the walk and fundraising efforts can be found on the “In Memory of Shaun Wild” Facebook page.