The Leo Francis Mackey Memorial Fund

We had no idea when we set this fund up after Leo passed away that it would quickly raise more than $5,000 in his name. We are humbled and touched deeply by this generosity, especially since it honors a child very few of the donors even got to meet. We struggle each day to come to grips with what happened to Leo, and have been moved time and again by the kindnesses of those who have reached out to us, especially those who have lost their own children and have been so courageous and compassionate as to share their experiences with us.

We have written to each of the donors, but want everyone to know how grateful we are for all the support and love you have sent our way. There are no words to describe what it is like to be blessed by having our daughters in our arms even as the hole formed by Leo's loss fills us with grief. There are also no words to describe how much we appreciate the kindnesses and support from our family, friends and colleagues, except to say, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

If you are new to this blog, as we continue to hear from people who are new readers, we invite you to read the previous entry below about Leo posted shortly after the service for him.

We wanted to allocate the contributions to the Leo Francis Mackey Memorial Fund in a way that would help children in need and would have a clear impact, and thanks to the generosity of the donors, have been able to make several contributions in Leo's name. These contributions will expend the full resources of the current contributions. At the same time, since contributions continue to arrive, we also intend to keep this fund open and extend its support for other children in Leo's name.

The current recipients we have chosen are

1. The Ronald McDonald House of Danville, PA. This house is opposite the hospital where our children were born. During the 41 days our children spent in the NICU, the Ronald McDonald House was our home away from home, providing a nearby site to grab a quick couple hours of sleep or a quick meal. The gift from Leo's fund will be used to purchase the following:
-Two cribs
-Four strollers
-Children's activity table w/chairs
-Bean Bags for the children's playroom
-Medicine fridge
-Two roll-away beds
-Some new lighting

They will be placing a plaque in Leo's honor in the house.

2. Union County Public Library. Colleagues at Leo's father's office kindly donated a number of children's books to the library containing a book plaque in honor of Leo, and we were inspired by that example to buy the library a special board-book shelf for books used almost exclusively by children under two years old. A picture of one is here.

The library will be placing a plaque in Leo's honor on the shelf.

3. A scholarship contribution to the Batahola Norte Cultural Center in Managua, Nicaragua. Bucknell has a 10-year relationship with the area through the Bucknell Brigade, which has provided extensive support for Nueva Vida, a nearby desperately poor community devastated more than a decade ago by Hurricane Mitch. This cultural center provides support to help children in the community develop their interest in and talent for the arts -- including an artist who recently visited Bucknell to paint a mural commemorating the anniversary of the brigade. See this site.

We make this gift in particular as an expression of thanks for the many friends and colleagues at Bucknell who not only contributed to the Leo fund but who have also been so kind throughout this tumultuous time.

If you would like to make a gift to the fund, the donation information is below in the earlier post about it.

Thank you.