Matt and I have been working together on a plan for Charlee’s Orchard. We have a website coming in the first of the year with more information, but I wanted to take a minute to explain why we’re doing this and what you can do to help.
Charlee’s Orchard started as a place for family and friends to donate money in Charlee’s memory after she died. Instead of flowers at a funeral, we wanted to plant a whole orchard on our farm in her name. We wanted fruit trees and flowers and a gazebo for her final resting place. A beautiful space for a beautiful little girl. With your help, we’ve done just that. And it’s perfect.
We’ve spent the last year planning what we want to happen next. We want her name to live on. Anyone that has lost someone, especially a child, can tell you how important that is to the grieving family. We want her remembered for the life she lived, full of beauty, music, dancing and love. Our arms are empty, but our hearts are full. Her memory fills the pieces of our broken heart.
We want to continue to grow Charlee’s Orchard. We want to have children with disabilities come and learn about growing fruit, planting seeds, meeting baby animals, and a chance to dance in the flowers.
We would also like to use Charlee’s Orchard funds to help other grieving families. Child loss in the Down syndrome community is devastatingly common. Too many parents have to bury their children. Most of these losses are unexpected and earth shattering and families are left struggling to survive. Something not commonly known, is that most life insurance companies won’t cover children with Down syndrome. We would like to give grants to help families after their loss. Help assist in funeral or cremation expenses. This would be specifically for families that have lost a child with Down syndrome.
We would also like to assist families of children with Down syndrome get medical equipment that they can’t afford on their own. Not everyone qualifies for disability Medicaid and the cost of therapies and medical equipment can be overwhelming.
Other ideas in the works are, spreading her Orchard to other locations, helping her preschool financially with field trips and other activities for World Down syndrome Awareness Day. Hosting events on our farm for Charlee’s Orchard.
We can’t do all of these things without your support. We’ve been so blessed with such wonderful friends and family. If you could consider making your end of the year donation to Charlee’s Orchard and share this post, it would mean everything to us. We have been officially recognized as a nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)). If you choose to donate, it will be tax deductible and you will receive a receipt for tax purposes. Thank you so much in advance!
