It’s been nine years since Michael Fitzgerald lost his daughter, Lauren, to cancer.
While the pain has subsided some, grief occasionally stirs over the loss of Lauren, a Wyomissing graduate who died at 20 in July 2005.
It’s a tough to reopen the wound, but it’s necessary for Michael and the rest of his family, who have worked tirelessly since Lauren’s death to make sure something positive comes from it.
“I go through moments of reflection, thinking about what we’re doing,” Michael said of the work by Lauren’s Foundation, the nonprofit named for his daughter. “I’m glad we’re able to help and keep her memory alive in the process.”
A field hockey co-captain at Wyomissing who went on to join the crew team and a sorority at Drexel University, Lauren lost a 14-month battle with a brain tumor.
On Sunday, runners will line up at Stone House Park in Wyomissing for the 10th annual Fitzy’s 5K Run, a Halloween-themed event to honor her memory and raise funds for the foundation.
“It’s bittersweet,” Michael said. “It’s our 10th run, and this Halloween would’ve been Lauren’s 30th birthday.”
Since the creation of Lauren’s Foundation, the nonprofit has put thousands of dollars into the Berks community to support people in need.
Among the components of the foundation: The Sunflower Fund, named for Lauren’s favorite flower; the fund benefits families caring for a child with a serious illness or disability. The foundation “adopts” families for a year, and gives them financial assistance to ease some of the burden.
“They want to focus on caring for their child, but somebody’s got to work,” Michael said. “So, over the course of the year, we’ll provide anywhere between $5,000 and $10,000, paying the mortgage, paying rent, covering utility bills for the year, car insurance, cellphone bills, just anything.”
An additional scholarship fund has doled out $42,000 in college scholarships over the past decade to 34 Berks County students who have overcome adversity to graduate high school.
“We started at Wilson and Wyomissing, and last year we added Gov. Mifflin and Schuylkill Valley,” Michael said. “We’re hoping to add another school this year. Every year, I’m just so taken aback by what some kids go through and how they manage to not only survive, but thrive and pursue their goals.”
Though he’s often praised for his family’s efforts, Michael said Lauren’s Foundation is simply a conduit.
“We’re getting money from sponsors and patrons and participants, and we’re just directing it to people who need it, and we wouldn’t exist without that generosity,” he said. “I’ll never stop doing this. I just wish I had been more cognizant of people’s struggles without my daughter having to go through what she did.”