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On September 3, 2023, I lost my son, Calvin James Wartnick, who was just 24 years old. Born on February 22, 1999, Calvin was a beautiful soul, full of life, and deeply loved. His sudden passing shook our family to the core. While the world continued moving, we were left frozen in our grief: heartbroken, confused, and struggling to make sense of an unbearable reality.
Losing a child is not just a tragedy, it's a lifelong sentence of grief. It's a wound that never truly heals. In the days and months after Calvin's death, I found myself not only grappling with the deep sorrow of his absence but also with a fear that his memory might eventually fade away from the world.
That fear was the seed that grew into Never Forget Me.
Why Never Forget Me Exists
Never Forget Me is more than a tribute, it's a sanctuary. It's a place for grieving parents to find support, compassion, and a space to keep their child's memory alive. We recognize the unthinkable reality that no parent wants to join this community, but once here, we do everything in our power to honor their child and uplift their broken hearts.
Through this initiative, we provide free services to parents who have lost a child, ensuring that their loved one is always remembered. Some of the ways we do this include:
- Forever Memory Board - A permanent, beautiful online tribute where each child's name, photo, and story are displayed with honor.
- Dedicated Webpage and Message Center - Each family receives a personalized page that includes their child's story, photos, and a message wall where friends and family can leave words of love and remembrance.
- Peer-to-Peer Support - We connect grieving parents with others who have experienced similar losses. Private and public discussion spaces help them express, reflect, and find support.
- Online Grief Diary - A private place for parents to process and journal their emotions in a secure, safe space.
- Welcome Package - As funds allow, each family receives a custom care package that includes a T-shirt, coffee mug, and other items displaying their child's picture and QR code that links directly to their memory page.
- Potential Financial Support - As funds allow, we aim to offer partial reimbursements for memorial costs to lessen the financial burden during such a painful time.
All of this is offered free of charge to families. Our goal is to help the first 100 families with the help of this fundraiser.
Why Your Support Matters
No parent ever plans to bury their child. No one signs up for this life of grief, or the loneliness that follows it. For many, support from friends and the community fades with time, but the loss never does.
Your donation matters. Each dollar you give helps keep a child's memory alive and helps a grieving parent feel seen, supported, and remembered. With your help, we can build a place where remembrance is permanent, where pain is heard, and where healing can begin - even if just a little.
If you've ever known someone who has lost a child or if you've lost someone close to your heart, you understand the value of a compassionate, lasting tribute. This is your opportunity to be part of a legacy that not only honors the past but brings comfort into the present.
Why You Should Share This Campaign
Even if you are unable to donate, sharing this campaign is powerful. Every time someone sees this story, a new opportunity for support is born. Sharing spreads awareness about the pain families carry after losing a child and the importance of keeping those children's memories alive.
You may not know who in your network needs this message. A grieving parent might be silently enduring their loss and discovering Never Forget Me could be the lifeline they didn't know existed. Or perhaps someone you know has the means to donate and would be moved by this mission.
Please share this campaign with your family, your friends, your social media networks, your community groups anyone and everyone. A simple share could make all the difference for a family who desperately needs support.
Where Your Donation Goes
We are committed to transparency and compassion. Of the funds raised:
- 85% goes directly to providing services, support, and care packages to families.
- The remaining 15% covers basic operational costs to keep the platform running smoothly and sustainably.
We do not profit from your donations. Every cent is used with integrity to serve our mission: honoring lost children and supporting those who carry the heaviest grief.
Join Us in This Mission
If you've made it this far, thank you. Thank you for reading, for caring, for taking a moment to reflect on the lives of children like Calvin, and the parents left behind. We never wanted to be part of this club, but now that we are, we are committed to making it one of comfort, honor, and everlasting remembrance.
Visit www.NeverForgetMe.org to learn more, view our tributes, and see the heart behind this project.
Together, we can ensure these children are never forgotten. Their lives mattered. They mattered then, and they matter now.
Please consider donating today and if you can't give, please share. Your compassion can help turn heartbreak into healing.
With heartfelt gratitude,
A grieving parent, and founder of Never Forget Me
In loving memory of Calvin James Wartnick (1999-2023)
Organizer
