Virtual Skate For Ginny
Donation protected
This is my dear childhood friend, Virginia “Ginny” Sweetser. My family moved to Vermont and into the house across the street from her when Ginny was 10 and I was 11, and we hit it off right away. Both of us were tomboys and spent most days after school and all summer together playing baseball and street hockey, riding bikes, skateboarding, rollerblading, causing mischief, or just hanging out inside listening to music. Ginny was the first person to ride in a car with me - on the very same day that I got my driver’s license - when I drove us to and from hockey practice in a blizzard. There are countless stories of our adventures that I could tell.
As we approached high school, most of our time together was spent on the hockey rink with the Essex Youth Hockey Girls Team. Girls hockey was new to the game in the early 90’s, therefore we had only one team for all ages and ability levels, with players from many different schools throughout the region. We were quite the motley crew, but Ginny’s vibrant personality, infectious energy, and knack for getting along with everybody was the glue that bound us all together. She was also the keeper of the team “mascot” - a large, plastic action figure that had been intentionally set on fire and burned beyond recognition in a hotel parking lot during one of our travel tournaments (all her idea). She attached it to a metal coat hanger, stored it in her hockey bag, and hung it up in the locker room for every single game. Whether it brought us any luck is questionable, but it was these types of shenanigans that were so quintessentially Ginny. She always put a smile on our faces, lightened the mood, and got a good laugh out of every one of us.
After high school, we didn’t see each other regularly as time, distance, and adulthood separated us, but she always stopped by our house whenever she was in town and we would pick up right where we left off. I was always excited to see her black Jeep across the street because I knew it meant she would be surprising us with a knock on the front door or might meander into the back yard during a campfire. Our contact grew even less when she was deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and later moved to Kansas City, Missouri, but I always knew we’d be lifelong friends no matter what.
A few days ago, my heart absolutely broke when I found out that Ginny lost her life to an exceedingly long battle with PTSD. It is deeply saddening to know that I will never see her generous smile and shining blue eyes again and that the possibility of us hanging out and catching up is gone forever. She was an extraordinary presence in this world unlike any other. She was wild at heart and in spirit, but also contemplative and steady. She made you feel important and loved when you were with her. I wish I could have known a way to help her stay with us.
What I do have the power to help stay with us is her memory. While it would be wonderful to be able to gather all of our old hockey teammates, friends, and family together to take some laps on the ice and share our memories of her, this is clearly not possible at this time. But we can certainly come together virtually to honor the incredible person that Ginny was. Hence, the Virtual Skate for Ginny fundraiser is born. It is clear that she left an imprint on the hearts of everyone who was ever lucky enough to meet her. When I reached out to the handful of our old teammates that I was connected with on social media and told them my idea, every single one of them responded quickly and positively that they wanted to be involved. With all of our help, this hopefully will be shared as far and wide as Ginny’s influence has reached. All proceeds will go directly to the 501(c)(3) scholarship in Ginny’s name that her family will be formalizing in the coming weeks. This scholarship will provide funds specifically to female veterans who are pursuing their higher education in the fields of social work, psychology, or psychiatry. Please consider a donation of any amount.
Ginny, you are incredibly loved and missed. Your bright spirit will continue to shine in our hearts, always. ❤️
https://everloved.com/life-of/virginia-sweetser/?utm_source=creator_share&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0tGhchZjGYc5XwuIaXl76lFZ4MwT6yA2spf4jnS8_VrRW40CpNj-C3BDs
As we approached high school, most of our time together was spent on the hockey rink with the Essex Youth Hockey Girls Team. Girls hockey was new to the game in the early 90’s, therefore we had only one team for all ages and ability levels, with players from many different schools throughout the region. We were quite the motley crew, but Ginny’s vibrant personality, infectious energy, and knack for getting along with everybody was the glue that bound us all together. She was also the keeper of the team “mascot” - a large, plastic action figure that had been intentionally set on fire and burned beyond recognition in a hotel parking lot during one of our travel tournaments (all her idea). She attached it to a metal coat hanger, stored it in her hockey bag, and hung it up in the locker room for every single game. Whether it brought us any luck is questionable, but it was these types of shenanigans that were so quintessentially Ginny. She always put a smile on our faces, lightened the mood, and got a good laugh out of every one of us.
After high school, we didn’t see each other regularly as time, distance, and adulthood separated us, but she always stopped by our house whenever she was in town and we would pick up right where we left off. I was always excited to see her black Jeep across the street because I knew it meant she would be surprising us with a knock on the front door or might meander into the back yard during a campfire. Our contact grew even less when she was deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and later moved to Kansas City, Missouri, but I always knew we’d be lifelong friends no matter what.
A few days ago, my heart absolutely broke when I found out that Ginny lost her life to an exceedingly long battle with PTSD. It is deeply saddening to know that I will never see her generous smile and shining blue eyes again and that the possibility of us hanging out and catching up is gone forever. She was an extraordinary presence in this world unlike any other. She was wild at heart and in spirit, but also contemplative and steady. She made you feel important and loved when you were with her. I wish I could have known a way to help her stay with us.
What I do have the power to help stay with us is her memory. While it would be wonderful to be able to gather all of our old hockey teammates, friends, and family together to take some laps on the ice and share our memories of her, this is clearly not possible at this time. But we can certainly come together virtually to honor the incredible person that Ginny was. Hence, the Virtual Skate for Ginny fundraiser is born. It is clear that she left an imprint on the hearts of everyone who was ever lucky enough to meet her. When I reached out to the handful of our old teammates that I was connected with on social media and told them my idea, every single one of them responded quickly and positively that they wanted to be involved. With all of our help, this hopefully will be shared as far and wide as Ginny’s influence has reached. All proceeds will go directly to the 501(c)(3) scholarship in Ginny’s name that her family will be formalizing in the coming weeks. This scholarship will provide funds specifically to female veterans who are pursuing their higher education in the fields of social work, psychology, or psychiatry. Please consider a donation of any amount.
Ginny, you are incredibly loved and missed. Your bright spirit will continue to shine in our hearts, always. ❤️
https://everloved.com/life-of/virginia-sweetser/?utm_source=creator_share&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0tGhchZjGYc5XwuIaXl76lFZ4MwT6yA2spf4jnS8_VrRW40CpNj-C3BDs
Organizer
Alida Aiello
Organizer
Essex, VT