Abby's Light Memorial Foundation

March 24th 2014. The second anniversary of Abby’s passing. A day of introspection and trying to find peace. I make a decision. It’s time to start developing a different type of relationship with my daughter. She’s not physically here with me but I know she is here. March 25th, I create a Facebook page called Abby’s Light. Within months the page grows. I find an outlet to express my love for Abby. The page is a test for myself. Think of Abby as she lived. All the positives no negatives. It becomes a living breathing page. It is Abby’s Light. It evolves not just as a page but a legacy.

Kindness is what Abby represents. We fight back the loss with positive efforts. Her birthday becomes a day for acts of kindness. Literally through the help of friends, acts of kindness small and large are happening in many parts of the world. The following year, our county in Pennsylvania, Bucks County becomes Random Acts of Kindness Day on her birthday. The day is featured in our local news paper and the popularity of the Abby’s Light page grows by 50 percent. November 19th will be considered Random Acts of Kindness day in Bucks County every year.

March of 2015. Abby’s Light spins off into a program called Abby’s AOK (Acts of Kindness). With Abby’s giving spirit in mind we give gift cards to random people and children. The children receive gift cards from Justice Clothes Stores. The adults receive Starbucks cards. At this point we are not a nonprofit, tax exempt organization. We do however, through the generosity of friends, family and strangers receive over a thousand dollars for the program. It is a huge success! Feedback from recipients is heartwarming. Abby’s spirit is alive.

My mind is constantly churning what more can be done. Should we form a charity? The startup would be daunting. Wait. I have a degree in business. I’m a fast learner. Why can I not do this when others can? I jump in. I do what is needed to form a nonprofit corporation and become tax exempt for potential donors as well. I made the decision, I learned, I formed a board and here we are!

The Abby’s Light Memorial Foundation became official on June 8th 2015. We are just getting started and approaching this in a methodical fashion. The foundation will succeed. I know that in my heart of hearts. This is for Abby! Children will smile and Abby will be that inspiration.

Stay tuned and watch this evolve. Abby’s Light will NEVER be extinguished!

The foundation has decided to do what Abby did best; make children smile. We accomplish this in many ways and as time progresses, there will be more. Here are just a few examples of our efforts:

• Provide gifts to hospitalized kids.
• Provide assistance to families in need. Focusing on making a child’s life better.
• Providing gifts to underprivileged children during the holiday season as well as other times of the year.
• Providing assistance to school teachers in underprivileged school districts to enhance their ability to inspire children.
• Performing random acts of kindness. Bucks County has proclaimed November 19th, Abby’s birthday, as Random Acts of Kindness Day throughout the area. We perform acts of kindness throughout the year by giving out gift cards valued at $10.00 to Justice Clothes stores (where Abby liked to shop) and Starbucks. These simple acts affect lives positively in many people as identified through feedback of recipients. We call them AOKs. The foundation believes a small act of kindness can grow into a movement and it has. Through this effort, thousands of dollars have been donated to help children around the world in Abby’s honor.

The Abby’s Light Memorial Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non profit corporation. All donations are tax deductible. Tax EIN #47-4178382