RANDOLPH — The Wish Upon a Hero Foundation is helping a 19-year-old Rutgers student from Randolph take care of her three younger siblings after their parents were killed during Hurricane Sandy.

Richard Everett, 54, and his wife, Elizabeth, 46, were killed while driving through Mendham Township during the storm when a tree fell on their truck. Their two sons — Theo, 14, and Pierce, 11 — were riding in the back but not seriously harmed. Their two daughters, Zoe, 19, and Talia, 17, were not with them.

With $56,000 raised for the Everett family by the Wish Upon a Hero Foundation, Zoe Everett says her family’s “wish has been granted” and requests that donations go to others.

In a statement posted at the website, Zoe Everett said she now has "two goals: caring for and being guardian of my three younger siblings and keeping my family in the house we grew up in. It is challenging realizing what a lengthy process everything and anything seems to be."

Everett had announced she is leaving school to care for her three younger siblings.

“At this point, my family's needs have been met,” she said in a statement released late this afternoon. “We would like to draw attention and further donations to other individuals whose needs have not yet been met.”

Before the hurricane, Everett said, she was “a typical 19-year-old student at Rutgers. But then came October 29th. I was studying for an exam, waiting out Hurricane Sandy and then I received a phone call. At 11 p.m. on October 29th, I found out both of my parents had been killed.

“I needed to get back home to take care of my three younger siblings. I finally made it to the hospital in the morning after battling with Hurricane Sandy all night. I was no longer your typical 19-year-old. A moment in time, a second of bad luck, changed my life and my siblings’ lives forever," she wrote on the website.

“I love them more than they could ever fathom and I am ready and willing to put any amount of weight on my shoulders to lessen the load on theirs. They are children who deserve to be kids and enjoy the life they have lying before them. I am going to be strong for them. I am going to be wise. I am going to be patient."

This afternoon, after the family had met their fundraising goal, Everett said, "On behalf of my siblings and myself, I would like to express our sincerest thanks for the overwhelming support and generosity shown to us. Wish Upon a Hero has raised funds for my family that have exceeded our wildest dreams. The donations have ensured our well-being for the next few months and will hold us over until we are able to access our own funds."

Everett asked that future donations be made to other families victimized by the storm. "The donations have ensured our well-being for the next few months and will hold us over until we are able to access our own funds," she wrote on the website this afternoon.

“My family has been so blessed, and we would like to be able to do the same for others who have suffered the misfortune of Hurricane Sandy."

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