The Toronto FC has donated $5,000 to a GoFundMe campaign for the popular Brampton elementary school teacher who died in a car crash last week while on his way home from watching a game.

“We would like to pass on our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Leo Abraham, who passed away on Wednesday night following our match,” noted an official statement released over the weekend by the professional soccer club. “Leo was a devoted husband, a father of four boys, a beloved elementary school teacher in Brampton and a loyal TFC fan.”

In its statement, the club urged fans to consider donating to the Abraham family.

The fund for the family of the 42-year-old grades 4/5 teacher at St. John Bosco school had topped $59,000 by Monday morning. That amount has been collected in just three days, and close to 600 people have donated.

Abraham, a Caledon resident, was killed when his SUV collided with a transport truck on Mayfield Road around 1:30 a.m. He was on his way home to Caledon after attending last week's Toronto FC championship-winning game. The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the OPP.

Colleagues, former students, friends and family have been mourning his loss since the tragic crash. He has been hailed as the type of educator who loved his job and made a real difference in the lives of the students he taught. Many of them have expressed how his compassionate and caring style impacted their lives, even a decade or more since they were his students.

“My special needs son Cole loved him so much,” wrote one donor. “Leo gave Cole so much love last year and this year. It will never be the same without Leo at school.”

As word of his death spread, grief-stricken former students remembered a teacher they say inspired them to succeed, helped them transition from elementary to high school and university, and taught them lifelong lessons they remember to this day.

“ … we have lost a great educator and more importantly, human being,” wrote former student Steve McColm on Facebook. “Mr. Abraham was by far one of my favourite teachers.”

McColm said Mr. A, as many called him, was his Grade 8 teacher and also coached him on the softball team from grades 4 to 8. He credited Abraham for steering him in the right direction on more than one occasion.