I still mother them….

People always ask me where ideas come from.

The truth is, some of the best ones don’t start in a meeting. They don’t start with a strategic plan or a whiteboard full of ideas.

Sometimes they start with a conversation.

That’s exactly how the GaBJOEY Fund was born.

Corey Ryan and I were talking one day about Joey. About Gabriella. About the children left behind after an overdose. We talked about how everyone rallies around the funeral, but then life moves on. Those children still have to go to school. They still want to play sports. They still dream about college, learning a trade, or going to summer camp. They still deserve every opportunity life has to offer.

Somewhere in that conversation, we kept coming back to one simple thought.

What if we could give them just one extra yes?

Not every yes.

Just one more than they might have had.

One yes that puts a backpack on their shoulders for the first day of school.

One yes that puts a laptop in their hands for college.

One yes that buys a pair of work boots so they can start their first job.

One yes that lets them sign up for soccer, football, dance, welding school, or whatever dream is sitting in front of them.

Then something else hit us.

At Face the Facts Delaware, one of our greatest resources isn’t our bank account.

It’s our community.

Over the years, we’ve built relationships with businesses, organizations, churches, schools, community partners, and people who simply want to help. Maybe the answer isn’t always writing a check. Maybe it’s a local business donating a laptop. Maybe it’s someone purchasing school supplies. Maybe it’s a trade company providing a welding helmet. Maybe it’s a sponsor paying for summer camp.

Help comes in a lot of different forms.

And every one of them matters.

That’s exactly what the GaBJOEY Fund will be.

Sometimes we’ll provide financial assistance. Sometimes we’ll connect a child with someone in our community who is able to say, “I’ve got this.”

Because at the end of the day, it isn’t about how the help arrives.

It’s about making sure it does.

Gabriella and Joey’s names will now be attached to something that opens doors instead of closing them. Something that creates opportunities instead of obstacles. Something that reminds a child who has already lost so much that there is still an entire community willing to stand beside them.

I love that.

Because that’s who we are.

We are neighbors helping neighbors.

We are people who believe that no child should lose opportunities because they lost a parent.

And if we can give one child just one extra yes…

Then Gabriella and Joey’s legacy will continue changing lives for years to come.