Dear Friends,

I am reaching out to ask for your support for a dear friend, Cori Heflin, and her family. Just over a year ago, Cori and her husband Eugene suffered the unimaginable loss of their son, Auggie, to suicide. Since then, they’ve been navigating a path of grief and healing, one that no family should ever have to walk.

Throughout this time, I have witnessed Cori and Eugene’s extraordinary resilience. Despite the weight of their grief, they have worked so hard to make incredible strides towards healing while continuing to be a devoted mother and father to Paxton, their young son. They have shown remarkable strength, even on the hardest days when it was impossible to leave the house, let alone find the energy to face the world. The pain of losing Auggie is something that no parent should ever endure, but Cori and Eugene have fought through it with everything they have, and they need our love and support.

To give Paxton a fresh start after Auggie’s death, they made the difficult decision to enroll him at Wellington, a school where he wouldn’t have to constantly relive the trauma of losing his best friend, protector, and brother. Paxton is thriving there—his growth, learning, mental health, and overall well-being have all shown improvement. Wellington, though an amazing school, comes with a hefty tuition, and right now, Cori and Eugene need support to continue providing Paxton with the education he deserves.

This past year, they’ve had to take FMLA and time away from work to focus on their emotional healing. While that time has been critical for their mental health, it has also placed an enormous financial burden on their shoulders. The journey of healing is ongoing, and as Cori works towards getting back to a place where she can return to her professional life, she needs peace of mind knowing that Paxton can remain at Wellington, where he is thriving, so that she can continue to focus on navigating and establishing a new sense of normalcy and well-being.

If you can, please donate to help the Heflins. Thank you for your kindness, your compassion, and your support during this incredibly difficult time.

With gratitude, Jackie