CARMEL, Ind. — Two central Indiana gyms are coming together to show support for the Fort Wayne family who lost their 7-year-old daughter this week when she fell in a sand hole that collapsed in Florida.
"It doesn't quite hit home. Then, when it's someone you know, and you have memories and a relationship with them, it feels so different and heartbreaking," said Kristen Katibah, owner of Burn Boot Camp Carmel.
The heartbreak came when Katibah learned the girl who died was Sloan Mattingly, whose family was gym members before they moved to Fort Wayne.
"They were fantastic, wonderful people and always wanting to brighten other people's days," Katibah said.
While the Mattinglys were on vacation in Florida, Sloan and her brother, Maddox, were digging in the sand when the hole collapsed, trapping them. Maddox was rescued chest deep; Sloan wasn't breathing when she was found.
Even though this tragedy was hundreds of miles away, Katibah knew she needed to support the family any way she could back at home.
During morning camps at Burn Boot Camps in Carmel and Fishers on Saturday, Feb. 24, all drop-in fees and donations will go to help the Mattingly family. Hundreds of gym members all around the country have already donated to the family.
"I think they see themselves in something like this and how it could be anyone and to give back in any way and relieve this weight off of their shoulders," Katibah said.
For more information on Saturday's camps and how to donate, you can visit Burn Boot Camp's Facebook page.