The Love of T Foundation

My name is Luke Fitzgerald. I founded Love of T in August of 2021 after the sudden and tragic passing of my mother, Teresa Fitzgerald, or T as she was lovingly called by her many friends and family.

Mission Statement: The mission of The Love of T Foundation is to promote access to and address gaps in behavioral healthcare services and housing. We will do this through building relationships and fostering community conversation on how to promote systemic change

My mother was born on May 16th 1961 in Hempstead, NY. She was the youngest living sibling of 8 children. When she was young my grandparents moved with her to Upstate New York and settled in the Chatam area. After attending local schools she started working as a waitress at many restaurants, eventually at The Highland in Pittsfield, Where she met my father, Mike Fitzgerald, or “Fitzy” as he is better known around town. She would eventually go on to work in the Pittsfield Pubic Schools, waitress at places such as The Sweet Basil Grill in Lenox, Do many catering events with her friends for extra money, and eventually worked at Hi Tech Mold and Tool for over a decade before her passing. She easily made friends wherever she went and will always be remembered for her vibrant, loving, empathetic and cheerful spirit. She seemed to be in the best mood in the spring time when she would clean her house and sing with her beautiful voice with all of the windows open. What my mother loved most was her family. She always went out of her way for my sister and I, and even though she did not give birth to him, treated my brother Jason as if she did. She always embraced hosting the entire youth sports teams for sleepovers and breakfast and always encouraged the kids in the neighborhood with anything they were putting their minds to. She was a loving Aunt to her 14 nieces and nephews often spending hours on the phone lending an ear, or driving for hours to see family who is spread all over the state of New York and beyond. For two years in a row in the 90’s she put together an overnight thanksgiving for two sides of her family gathering upwards of 50 people at a YMCA camp for the holiday. The goal of Love of T is to remember Teresa for how she lived, not how her life ended.

During the Coronavirus Pandemic my mother struggled mightily with the stress and the thought that she could potentially hurt others by spreading this virus. On May 2nd 2021 I remember the day vividly. I woke up at my girlfriend’s house and after having coffee with her and her sister I insisted on rushing over to my parents so that I could give my mom a long awaited hug, as that day marked 2 weeks since she had received her 2nd dose of the vaccine. Upon arriving at the house I quickly realized something was wrong only to discover that my mother had taken her own life. Although my mother was always known for her vibrant personality her mental health had deteriorated over the COVID winter. At the time of her death she had suffered from delusions, but she would not speak up about them and tragically took her own life to escape the pain she was suffering. At The Love of T Foundation we promote that it is OK and encouraged for those suffering with thoughts of self-harm and other behavioral health issues to speak up before it is too late. We will spread awareness and work diligently towards better access to behavioral health care for the residents of Pittsfield and beyond.

Finding my mother that day shattered my whole perspective on life, and ignited a fire within me. I first started struggling with suicidal ideation at a young age. My parents encouraged me to seek professional help but I was always resistant. Eventually, not taking care of these issues caused the manifestation of addiction and Bipolar Disorder in my life. After years of struggling I was able to get into recovery in 2017 and turn my life around by addressing the issues at hand. Since getting clean I have found a passion for helping others with behavioral health issues working several jobs locally as a community outreach worker. In doing this I realize that many people do not get the chance to have the shining light to get them through the other side of their issues. Mine was my mother. She was always there when I struggled and no matter how bad it got she always stuck by my side. At Love of T we will strive to keep that loving spirit of my mother alive and I hope to shine the light that is her spirit on to as many lives as I can through the work we will do here for years to come. We are eternally grateful for any contributions you are able to make and we look forward to seeing all of your faces at our events in the future.

Note: If you will be looking for a tax deduction on your donation, please consider mailing a check to “The Love of T Foundation” 71 Bishop Pkwy Pittsfield, Ma 01201

Sincerely,

Luke Fitzgerald

Founder/President

The Love of T Foundation Inc.