<div><br />
</div>
<div>Title: Saving my Dad's Memorial Bench from the city of Long Beach : A Story of Love and Legacy
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Almost 2 decades ago my mom fulfilled her husband's final wish by erecting a memorial bench in his honor. This wasn't just any bench; it was a testament to a life well-lived, a tribute to a man who had left an indelible mark on the hearts of those who knew him and a place to share with those he never got to meet the incredible man he was.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Mike Edmonds, a passionate surfer and devoted family man, had left this world too soon, taken by the waves he loved so much. He and my mom met in high school at the age of 15 and were inseparable. As you can imagine the sudden passing of my dad so young in life was earth shattering for her and my brother and I. His bench has been a place to go to feel connected to him, remember stories and share memories with those that never got to meet him like his three grandchildren and son in law. My husband chose to propose at my dad’s bench as a place he felt my dad could be a part of that very special with us. This bench is more than a place to sit with a plaque of someone’s name spelt out on it; it is a place where my dads spirit can linger on the shores, in the laughter of his wife, children, grandchildren and in the tender memories shared by all when they visit.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>For nearly two decades, my dads (Michael Edmonds) bench stood as a sanctuary—a place where grief turned into solace, where tears turned into laughter as stories of his adventures were shared. It was a beacon of hope for his widow, a refuge for his children, and a testament to the enduring power of love.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>But then, a cruel twist of fate threatened to tear it all away. The city of Long Beach, in a heartless act of bureaucracy, demanded exorbitant fees of $12,000 every 10 years moving forward for the bench's upkeep and ownership. To my mom, it felt like a betrayal of everything her husband stood for—a betrayal of love, of memory, of everything they had built together.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Determined to fight for my dad’s legacy, I reached out for help, hoping that the power of community and compassion could sway the hearts of those blinded by greed. I shared my dads story and that of the bench, hoping to ignite a spark of empathy in the hearts of strangers demand justice for my dad’s bench.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>And though Mike may have left this world, his spirit lives on, in the timeless beauty of a bench that bore his name.
</div>

Lynell DePerio

Ronald A Kramer

karen souza

David Rothfus

Jennifer Rennie

Shelly & Rich Armond

Lindsay Curry

Jessica Jacques

Debra Triesch

Nicole Peretti

Erika Stewart

Lisa Ramsay

Rhonda Castro

Michael Leitao

Michele Derycke

Casey Lang

Marisa Powers

Michael An All Inclusive Event

Robyn Leitao Stinson

Eileen McCarthy

Preserve Mike Edmonds' Legacy: Save His Memorial Bench

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Preserve Mike Edmonds' Legacy: Save His Memorial Bench

Still $9,140 to go. Help us build momentum.