August 5th, 2022, will forever be a day when the Castle Rock community was shaken to its core. Four teenagers who attended Castle View High School were traveling back from a party in a Honda pickup truck owned by one of the teens. As they approached Interstate 25 Frontage Road and Territorial Road, their truck was struck head on by a Toyota SUV, driven by a 25 year old male who was later found to have been intoxicated at the time of the accident. Two of the teens died at the scene of the crash, and the other two teens suffered serious injuries.
Castle Rock has always been known as a very close-knit community. When the news of the tragic accident was made public, the entire community was immediately was in shock.
Many of the Dads of Castle Rock have kids who also attend Castle View High School and were friends with the teens in the accident, and upon hearing of the accident, they were all devasted, and emotions and disbelief were high.
The financial burden of an unexpected loss of life is nearly crippling. As if it were instinct, the Dads of Castle Rock knew it was once again time to do what it has become known for. With the infamous words spoken by Robert Zearing, “Time to get to work,” the call to action was proclaimed, and the Dads of Castle Rock rallied.
Online fundraisers were set up and a pancake breakfast fundraiser was planned for that following Saturday. Within two weeks of receiving the news of the senseless tragedy, the Dads of Castle rock was able to rally the community together, and with very generous donations from Press Waffle Co., Great Divide Brewing Co., Castle Rock Autoplex, Meadows Express Car Wash, and Calvary Castle Rock., $100,000 was raised for the families of the teens in the accident, making it the largest fundraiser to date for the Dads of Castle Rock.
While nothing can ever be done to change what took place that night, we pride ourselves in easing some of the financial burden so that these families can focus on what’s important… each other
Robert Zearing, President, Dads of Castle Rock
Losing a child is every parent’s worst nightmare, and nothing that anyone can do will ever make that pain go away. The Dads of Castle Rock and the entire Castle Rock community did the only thing they could do by taking some of the burden and responsibilities so the families could focus on grieving and healing.
We are constantly reminded how precious life is, how a single moment can shatter your world, and how important it is to take a moment of our day to tell the people in our life that we love them.