A donation jar at Townline Market in Wausau disappeared with cash intended to help pay for 4-year-old Cashton Krause’s care. The jar has been replaced, and donations have come in from customers; money has also been mailed to the market, with contributions already exceeding what had been collected before the theft, WFSB reported. No arrests have been announced.
The response adds to years of local fundraising for Cashton. David Jagler, the market’s former owner and Cashton’s grandfather, has raised money through golf-ball and chocolate-bar sales, according to WFSB. A public benefit listing also documents a benefit for Cashton. Townline Market, a neighborhood butcher shop and grocery, has served Wausau’s east side for more than 50 years, according to Visit Wausau.
Care needs and support options
Cashton has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and travels for specialized treatments, including therapy intensives, WFSB reported. A WCCO - CBS Minnesota video shows the family discussing treatment trips. The family’s fundraising is intended to help with care-related expenses; the theft does not change the longer-term needs that those efforts address.
The family has also faced housing disruption. WFSB reported that the Krauses lost their previous home in the Ringle tornado and now live in a rental that is not accessible for people with disabilities. That account does not establish what assistance the family has sought or received.
Wisconsin has support programs whose rules provide context for families navigating disability-related needs, but the public information does not establish whether the Krauses qualify. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says Children’s Long-Term Support screening considers a child’s functional abilities, health-related needs and type of disability.
A separate option, the Children’s Community Options Program, may fund some supports unavailable through insurance, Medicaid or CLTS, including certain one-time needs, according to Wisconsin DHS. Its eligibility criteria include a child’s age, disability, living setting and assessed level of care. Those program descriptions do not show whether the Krause family has applied or is eligible.
For now, the replacement jar at Townline Market offers a direct way for neighbors to continue a fundraising effort that predates the theft. The reported donations have already surpassed the missing jar’s total, but the amount taken has not been specified.
