Baby Memorial Fund
Donation protected
My grandparents were married for 66 years until my grandmother passed away in September of 2014. My grandfather visits the cemetery where her ashes are kept at least twice a week. My grandmother always cherished babies and small children, so a few months ago while visiting the cemetery, with my grandmother's spirit in mind, my grandfather asked the Deacon of the cemetery if there is an area dedicated to babies who have passed. When the Deacon took my grandfather to this area he was surprised to see that most of the graves consisted of nothing but plastic temporary grave markers no larger than the size of an index card. Most of the parents of the babies who had passed were young couples or single mothers, some of whom were the victims of abuse, and were not in the financial position to pay for a formal grave marker.
After hearing this, and remembering the love that my grandmother had for children, my grandfather became driven to do something to honor the lives of these babies with something more than a temporary marker, some of which were barely visible. Since then he has worked tirelessly to raise funds that will be dedicated solely to, and with the express purpose of, erecting a small granite wall at the cemetery with the names of all of the babies that have been laid to rest. The funds will also go towards providing permanent grave markers for each grave. Any additional funds will be placed into a reserve fund and will be used for the sole purpose of adding the names of any future babies that are laid to rest at the cemetery to the wall and to provide permanent grave markers for any future babies that will be laid to rest.
My grandfather has already raised $2,500 dollars thanks to the generous donations of several community organizations and charitable individuals, and an addtional $1,000 has been pledged. However, his goal is to raise $6,500, which he hopes to achieve by the spring of 2016.
My grandfather is 87 years old and has said on several occasions that this project is the first thing he thinks of in the morning and the last thing he thinks about when he goes to bed. My grandfather has fully dedicated himself to raising these funds, honoring the lives of these babies, and in turn honoring my grandmother's memory for several months now.
With your help, his goal will be realized, and any amount donated would be unbelievably appreciated. While words could not express his gratitude, he will certainly try in the form of a handwritten thank you note to any and everybody who donates. Thank you for reading.
Disclaimer: My grandfather does not represent the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in any way. He is simply fundraising for the sole, express purpose described above. The cemetery is aware of, and supports this campaign, but he just wants to reiterate that he does not represent the cemetery in any official capacity.
After hearing this, and remembering the love that my grandmother had for children, my grandfather became driven to do something to honor the lives of these babies with something more than a temporary marker, some of which were barely visible. Since then he has worked tirelessly to raise funds that will be dedicated solely to, and with the express purpose of, erecting a small granite wall at the cemetery with the names of all of the babies that have been laid to rest. The funds will also go towards providing permanent grave markers for each grave. Any additional funds will be placed into a reserve fund and will be used for the sole purpose of adding the names of any future babies that are laid to rest at the cemetery to the wall and to provide permanent grave markers for any future babies that will be laid to rest.
My grandfather has already raised $2,500 dollars thanks to the generous donations of several community organizations and charitable individuals, and an addtional $1,000 has been pledged. However, his goal is to raise $6,500, which he hopes to achieve by the spring of 2016.
My grandfather is 87 years old and has said on several occasions that this project is the first thing he thinks of in the morning and the last thing he thinks about when he goes to bed. My grandfather has fully dedicated himself to raising these funds, honoring the lives of these babies, and in turn honoring my grandmother's memory for several months now.
With your help, his goal will be realized, and any amount donated would be unbelievably appreciated. While words could not express his gratitude, he will certainly try in the form of a handwritten thank you note to any and everybody who donates. Thank you for reading.
Disclaimer: My grandfather does not represent the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in any way. He is simply fundraising for the sole, express purpose described above. The cemetery is aware of, and supports this campaign, but he just wants to reiterate that he does not represent the cemetery in any official capacity.
Organizer and beneficiary
Joey Hatzipanagiotis
Organizer
Dagsboro, DE
Kelsey Marsh
Beneficiary
