For those of you who are learning about Reese for the first time, you can read her story here.

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The routine engrained, the faces familiar, there’s a pull to be someone bigger. You’re entering 5th grade in the school that has welcomed you since you were a mere name whispered by few, known by none. Reese, you have made your mark. It’s the final phase of your elementary school experience and it begins today.

You’ve etched your name in places it shouldn’t be. You break the mold but have never been called to the principal’s office because of it. Perhaps you’ve got your dad’s charm after all?

Your name boldly shines on the bench at the front entrance of the school, as shiny as the day it was placed four years ago. The furniture in the second grade reading nooks add a softness to the everyday grind of reading standards and curriculum goals. Inside the cover of the book “The Day You Begin” each of your third grade classmates can find your name peeking out. Your 4th grade year was quieter when each of your friends peered into the library hoping to score the new release of their favorite author at the book fair. They scoured the book piles with $10 extra dollars with your name on it. Now, we are in the final phase of your elementary experience and there is one last place your name will stick.

You’ve made your mark every year for your classmates and yet few recognize you by name. If they are lucky, your name enters the walls of the places they call home whether it be by the mouths of their loved ones or because they have a friend with the same name. You and I both know that there is no one else like you but the absence of your presence lingers in places you should be.

I can’t help but wonder, on the cusp of another school year, if you’d have wanted me to cut those copper locks of yours, aiming for a more “grown up” look as you secure the title of a fifth grader? I would reluctantly trim the layers of curls, pausing before each inch is trimmed, double checking that this is what you really want to do. When really the question is for me, the person who cherishes the color of your hair, the freckles on your cheeks and the green in your eyes. Traits that you have grown tired of as you stretch into adolescence. The same traits that were etched into our story before you were you and before you were mine. The traits that visits my dreams not often enough.

One thing I know I can always count on is our bonding time outside. You shriek with excitement when a monarch flutters by on a warm fall day and my heart skips when I catch a glimpse. You marvel at the color of the leaves as they begin to change marking the end of summer and my heart winces as grief bubbles up and spills out the corner of my eyes. You take deep, full breaths of the crisp autumn air and my lungs seize knowing my body will forever carry your absence. The absence of humidity in the air marks another countdown to your birthday. A season that weighs heavily on my heart.

We are in the final phase of your elementary experience and there is one last place your name will stick; outside. Outside is where I feel you most. It only makes sense that others can too. The completion of the outdoor classroom, that we’ve worked so hard to raise money for, will mark the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new one. Your presence will be felt and name spoken as classmates absorb the lesson that sometimes acts of kindness can be the remedy our own sadness. Sometimes the gift mother nature presents us with daily is in fact what we’ve needed all along. A place to gather, a place to laugh and a place to be reminded that no matter what, community exists. This classroom is a piece of your legacy and a balm for a grieving mother’s heart.

Please join us in the final phase of Reese’s fundraising journey at Bel Air Elementary School. This year’s money will go towards the completion of the outdoor classroom that every student will have access to. Additionally, a portion of the funds will provide an opportunity for Reese’s 5th grade classmates to immerse in a cultural experience from the local Native American community. I can think of no better way to send Reese off to middle school than to leave a classroom that supports learning for years to come. A place to gather where mother nature is embraced, the love of learning expands beyond the four walls of the classroom and an immersive experience that reminds us that love is bigger than us all.

As construction continues- we will post photos to keep you all updated. Thank you for your years of generosity and support as we reluctantly live a life without our daughter.

**As a reminder: Our long term goal is to create an outdoor classroom (you can read more about it here ). Dedicating it to her as a send off of sorts as she would begin her journey into middle school. In 2023, we raised $7,300 for this project. In 2024, we raised $8,200. **