Portage, This past week has been incredibly difficult for many in our city as we mourn the tragic loss of seven-year-old Katalina, a beloved second-grade student at Crisman Elementary School. Her passing due to complications from asthma has deeply shocked and saddened our entire community.

Portage,

This past week has been incredibly difficult for many in our city as we mourn the tragic loss of seven-year-old Katalina, a beloved second-grade student at Crisman Elementary School. Her passing due to complications from asthma has deeply shocked and saddened our entire community.

I’ve spoken with many Crisman families, teachers, and staff who are heartbroken over her loss. But no one has been more devastated than her loving parents, Jacob and Kat, and her three siblings. Alongside their grief, they are now facing the overwhelming challenge of laying their little girl to rest without the financial resources to do so.

Jacob and Kat had just started new jobs and were in the process of trying to find a stable home for their family when this unimaginable tragedy struck. They need our help—our love, our support, and if possible, our financial assistance.

I’m sharing their [GoFundMe link] to ask anyone who is able to please consider donating. Every contribution, no matter the size, will help this family say goodbye to Katalina with the dignity and care she deserves.

If you’re unable to donate, please share the link so that others who can help might see it. And if you pray, please keep Katalina’s family, her classmates, her teachers, and all who loved her in your prayers.

Thank you,
Austin Bonta
Mayor, Portage, Indiana