On August 28, 2012, our world changed as we lost Todd due to complications with Epilepsy. In the following days, weeks, and months we asked daily, “why did this have to happen?” “How do we move on?” And, “what do we do now?” The answer was always in front of us, but it wasn’t always easy to see. We had to move on. Life doesn’t stop, and Todd, of all people, would never want any of us to sit and mourn him. Frankly, he’d be honored if we continued to smile, laugh, help others, and most importantly, quote movies.
In that spirit, on January 1, 2013, we started the Todd Daniels Memorial Foundation. Todd loved a lot of things in his 25 years. He loved sports, especially baseball. He loved to sing and entertain. He loved to do impressions, make jokes, ultimately…he loved to make people smile and laugh. However, one place stood out that Todd loved as much, if not more than anywhere else. His alma mater, St. Mary’s High School. It was there that we knew we could make a difference in Todd’s name.
“We’ve awarded tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships.”
Today, The Todd Daniels Memorial Foundation raises money to support The Todd Daniels Memorial Scholarships at St. Mary’s High School. We’ve awarded tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships, and raised thousands more to ensure that these scholarships are around to serve the young men of St. Mary’s for years to come.
It’s hard to believe that we’ve been doing this for nearly a decade. It’s even harder to believe that Todd’s been gone for that long. Our foundation motto is, “building a fire with the light he left behind.” We’re doing just that. With every dollar raised we get to help one more young man afford the high-quality education provided at St. Mary’s. Our foundation is 100% volunteer-run. That means no one on our board of directors or event planning committees is paid a salary or stipend…EVER! We’re using the money that has been generously entrusted to us to help deserving young men in Todd’s name.
“Building a fire with the light he left behind”
