4 1/2 years ago, when The SaMercy Fund was formed, we knew we wanted to help other families walking through the fire of child loss. Our family was in the middle of a military PCS (permanent change of station) from Camp Lejeune, NC to Parris Island, SC when the world as we knew it imploded. We had quite literally just send 2 ABF trailers filled to the brim with our earthly possessions when we got the call.
From that moment on, life as we knew it ceased to exist, to include the home we had shared with our children. We literally had not one clue as to how the Marine Corps would dictate our circumstances, so we had no real choice but to allow the family that had already rented our home to move in. So when we arrived back in North Carolina from Texas, with 3 living children and 2 that were not, we were quite literally “homeless.”
Suck that one in for a second. TWO of our kids died and we had to come back to the place we called home, but we didn’t have a “home” anymore. So our community banded together and by the generosity of vacation homeowners, local real estate companies, friends and even their friends, we consistently had a place to rest and lay our weary heads and hearts each night for nearly 3 months as we navigated what life would now look like, found a new place to call home and received permission from the Marine Corps to stay in North Carolina. During that time, we moved 5 times, had to rent furniture, buy things we already owned because everything we did own was in storage, packing up repeatedly to shift and settle and try to find comfort in the places we were loaned.
The immense generosity of our community, our friends and family, complete strangers and charitable organizations was humbling. And it gave us a small measure of comfort when we were not only faced with emotional turmoil, but financial as well.
One of the organizations that stepped in the gap to provide for our needs was The Semper Fi Fund. Their generosity inspired me to think about how, someday, I could do for others what they had generously done for our family. And through a series of experiences, a lot of prayer and a little bit of inspiration, our grant program was born.
Grieving families face a multitude of obstacles when they are staring down the barrel of this “new normal.” I hate that stupid term, by the way. There is NOTHING normal about outliving your child. But nevertheless, we have to find a way to continue living in spite of the circumstances we find ourselves in. And that looks different for every family facing tragedy. For some, it may be that they can’t afford counseling. Other may desperately need a retreat with other families like their own, but they can’t afford to get there. They may crave time together to make new memories, or visit a place that is special to their families. They may not be able to afford a headstone or a memorial urn. The needs of grievers are many and the resources for child loss are quite honestly, paltry. I spent months searching for grants for counseling when we found out ours was no longer covered and I can promise you that I didn’t find a single one that was able to provide in the way that we as a foundation are hoping to serve our fellow grievers.
In honor of Sammy’s 10th birthday, we are officially launching our Grant program to support families like ours. Every quarter, our grant application window will be open for 5 days. At that time, families may submit an application. Our board will review all of the applications and determine how we can best assist each family. We pray that through previous fundraising and future donations, we will find a way to help each family that comes into our circle. We hope that today, you’ll want to be a part of our dream to ease the burden for these broken families.
The SaMercy Fund is a 501(c)(3) and all of your donations are tax-deductible. No amount is too small if you feel led to contribute. We’re thankful for both one-time and recurring contributions. Every dollar, every thought and every prayer are a blessing to our organization and those we will serve.