Category Archives: Death of a Father

Death of a Father, Fundraising Ambassador, Grieving Children

Olivia Warren’s Fundraiser to Honor Her Father

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It was a lovely surprise to suddenly receive dozens of donations for our cause as a result of a young girl’s fundraiser which she created on our Mighty Cause portal on Thursday, September 24th.

Olivia Warren who is a senior at a high school in eastern Pennsylvania shared this beautiful story on her page:

“For my senior year of High School I have decided to run for homecoming court and made it onto nominees! Now I have to fundraise to advance and the charity I chose is very special to me. 

As many may know I lost my dad suddenly when I was 12 years old. He was my best friend and I took the loss of him hard. It was financially hard also. I am not alone on this. This is why I chose the Foundation for Grieving Children. Children who suddenly lost a caregiver should not have to worry about finances, but just about dealing with their grief. If you could please donate, anything could help these children because I know something like this helped me.”

We are honored that Olivia chose The Foundation for Grieving Children, Inc. and that so many of her family and friends have made donations from her fundraiser.

We are grateful and bless those who have contributed:

Olivia Warren in honor of her father; Megan Warren in honor of The Warrens; Kendall Scholl; Hailey Bullock; Christina Bertha; Addison Slivka; Amy Brigidi; Kelly Swinger; Jodi Freyman; Lori Moyer; Alicia Krause; Melinda Schneck; Tammy Miller; Beth Warren in memory of Andrew P. Warren; Angela Torres; Donna Keiderling; Linda (Linny) Cook dedicated to Olivia’s wonderful grandmother, Linny’s first grade teacher; Lori Ernst; Ann McGaughran; Dahlia Janis; Allison Rounsaville; Anand Thakrar on behalf of Raiden Thakrar; Susan Ouly; Keely Holland; Anonymous Donor; Keslin Ahner; Heather Reed; Ann Marie Kroboth; Eva Condoulis; The Fabians; Alice Reeves; Marisa Holderman; Tara Drayer; Susan Cervin; Gail Price dedicated to the memory of Adrienne Meyers; Anthony Bottone; Anonymous Donor; Evelyn Herman; Lauren R. Cruz in honor of Andrew and all those whom we lost too soon; Share Pascoe; Jill Coleman in honor of Primo; Kathy Emeigh; Kris Leibovitz in memory of Andrew and Taylor; Beth Warren in memory of Richard Matchette; Anonymous Donor; Barbara Greenzweig in memory of Andrew Warren; Nicole Schlegel; Rachel Barthol in memory of Andrew Warren; Judith Tomko in memory of Andrew Warren; Carla Antunes; Ruth Meier in memory of Andrew Warren; Terrence Benson.

If you would like to also join in her fundraiser, please go here.

Death of a Father, Death of a Husband, Death of a Son, Fundraising Ambassadors

CrossFit 77 | Mooresville NC | Fundraising Ambassador

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In mid-December 2021 we started to obtain several donations on our site from the same town in North Carolina.

When this happens I usually think someone has died and their family and friends are directing donations to us in honor of their loved one and for the benefit of grieving children.

Well, in this case, it seems a gym – CrossFit 77 – located in Mooresville, North Carolina decided to hold a 5K run in honor of the son of one of its members, who has unexpectedly passed away at the age of 32.

Army Sergeant David Mazzullo has left behind his parents, wife and son as well as many other beloved relatives and friends.

We are so grateful to CrossFit 77 for welcoming us into their fundraiser.

Below was the post for the event to honor Sgt. Mazzullo which was attended by hundreds of individuals in the community!

Many thanks to Jaspen and the entire staff who created this amazing event and to the family of Sgt. Mazzullo who we pray for and know his memory will live on forever.

Death of a Father, Fundraising Ambassadors

Latiera Harmon | Essential Living | Fundraising Ambassador

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It’s such a blessing when someone reaches out to you from across the country with the intent to bless others who have also experienced the death of a parent.

This was Latiera Harmon’s original goal for Father’s Day 2021 to honor her father who took his life when she was 8 years old.

Yet, unfortunately, all didn’t go as planned.

With the pandemic, every time we tried to find a center, it wasn’t open for face-to-face support groups in California, where she lives.

While we tried for months to get in touch, finally around Thanksgiving we decided to ship the gifts to us in Florida and, since we don’t have the same restrictions as California, we would find a great home for her generosity.

And so at the end of the year, we visited with Marla Sullivan at New Hope for Kids, our local Center for Grieving Children in Central Florida.

Marla, its Director of Development, graciously welcomed all of Latiera’s kindness and we just know there were many happy little ones from her gifts.

Mary Mac delivering Latiera Harmon’s gifts to Marla Sullivan of New Hope for Kids, Maitland, Florida

Thank you Latiera for all your hard work to wrap them all individually and make them so special for hurting young ones.

If you are in need of Amway products or would like to take a look at her site, please visit her here.

We are grateful you chose The Foundation for Grieving Children, Inc. as your charity of choice and for supporting our cause.

You are a blessing to many!

Death of a Father, Fundraising Ambassadors

Riley Church | Fundraising Ambassador

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It is amazing what a 15 year-old girl can do to help others who are also grieving children.

In February, 2020, Riley Church from Arizona experienced the sudden death of her young father, Robert Church. He was an accomplished professional and a loving Dad.

In an effort to give his death meaning, she began an online ecommerce store, the Cactus Cove Boutique, with the partial intention of helping our other children, teens and young adults who had had a similar experience as she.

Earlier in the year, her brother gave her mother a stuffed animal – a grey elephant – which she calls a Comfort Elephant. It gave her and her mother comfort after the death of her father.

Riley has dedicated the proceeds from her Comfort Elephant Collection to our organization, The Foundation for Grieving Children, Inc. and we are so honored.

Please visit Riley’s store and shop for the Comfort Elephant products as well as other wonderful items for young girls.

Thank you Riley for your wonderful work on our behalf. We thank your customers, also, who are making an impact for grieving children, teens and young adults!

Bless you for all you are doing! xoxo

Death of a Father, Death of a Grandfather, Fundraising Ambassadors

Joseph DiBenedetto – Fundraising Ambassador

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Joseph DiBenedetto – Racing in 2019 Brooklyn Half Marathon to honor his Dad who died when Joseph was 3 and as a Foundation for Grieving Children Fundraising Ambassador.

It was a delightful surprise when we received a note from Joseph expressing his desire to raise funds for the benefit of grieving children, teens and young adults, who, like himself, knew the most excruciating pain of losing a significant loved one at an early age.

Joseph’s Dad died when he was only 3 and Father’s Day has been especially difficult for he and his sister. Later in life he also experienced the death of his beloved grandfather in a tragic accident – a man whom he looked to as a father. Two devastating losses.

Because Joseph, who is now a New York Law School student, understood the pain of losing a parent so young, he reached out to us to raise funds as he raced in his first marathon on Father’s Day, 2019.

He told us he wanted to raise 2,100 signifying the number of years he has lived without his Dad.

Many of his family and friends have generously donated to Joseph’s challenge.

Will you also help Joseph reach his goal?

Go here to make your personal donation to support Joseph on Father’s Day.

We encourage you to share this post and the above link with family and friends with whom this story will resonate.

Many thanks!

P.S. If you’d like to become a Fundraising Ambassador, you can start your personal page by going here.

Update: On Sunday, June 16th, Father’s Day, Joseph successfully ran in the Brooklynite Half Marathon sponsored by CityTri. While he is very sore, he reports, and it was the hardest things he had ever done, he is grateful to all who donated to honor his Dad on that special day.

When his MightyCause challenge originally worked toward a $2,100 goal, he ultimately raised $2,715 for our cause. So fantastic!!!

See the wonderful photos below including those of his family. Thank you Joseph for all your hard work!