T-Shirt Fundraiser to Benefit Children of Slain Plainfield Teacher

Susan Triplett Cunningham was known by students for her “Trip’s Tips.” They included messages she hoped her students would carry with them throughout their life.

Kayla Kobela, a 2015 graduate of Plainfield North, has put that message on a T-shirt and is selling them in order to raise money for Cunningham’s children.

Kobela is currently studying at Hofstra University in New York, but when she heard of the tragedy, she knew she had to do something to help Cunningham’s children, who are now without parents.

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“I decided I wanted to do anything I could to help them out,” Kobela said. “If I was in that situation where I lost both my parents, I would hope somebody would take the initiative and help me out.”

With the T-shirts, Kobela felt it would be a good way for people to remember Cunningham and also provide a way for people to donate.

“I thought that was the perfect way to not only remember Ms. Tripp but also have a way for the kids to get money through it,” Kobela said.

Kobela never had Cunningham as a teacher, echoing other statements made by students at Plainfield North, but her compassion and sensitivity extended beyond the classroom to all students.

Cunningham once found Kobela crying in the locker room when she was a 15-year-old sophomore, but Cunningham didn’t tell her to just suck it up. She brought Kobela to her office and let her talk.

“She just let me cry,” Kobela said. “From that moment on, she was like, ‘If you ever need anything, come talk to me.’”

From then on, Kobela could always find a friend in Cunningham.

“She helped so many people and didn’t want anything in return,” she said.

The campaign has raised more than $8,000 and sold more than 800 shirts. Kobela doesn’t have a set amount she’s hoping to raise, but would be happy if the campaign reaches $10,000.

“I feel like that’s a good number and I didn’t even think I’d get that far,” she said. “I feel like we can raise that money for (the children).”

For people who purchase a shirt, they can pay an extra $5 to have the shirts shipped to them or they can arrange to pick up a shirt when they’re available.

To visit the fundraiser, click here.