A Final Promise

Today marks a day I never thought would come. A day I never imagined I would face when I made a promise to my daughter. But here it is.

I’m sure everyone has heard it a million times over. It has become the battle cry for all that Adam, and I have been doing since Alana passed.

To create a scholarship fund in her memory.

The very promise I made to her three days before she took her last breath. Something I said in the moment, even though I meant it, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would have to fulfill.

So I decided to lift back the curtain and allow everyone a glimpse into the inner workings of our nonprofit. To grant everyone a momentary back stage pass.

In the early days, it was filled with discussions, research, and seeking guidance from professionals. The advice from our financial advisor and the accountant, who agreed to help us establish the nonprofit, was invaluable. There were submissions to the state, the federal government, and the IRS. We worked through 40 pages of paperwork just to begin the process of becoming tax-exempt. There were multiple meetings, countless revisions of bylaws and the conflict-of-interest policy, and through it all, very few people even knew what we were doing.

Then came the logistics.

What would the nonprofit be called? What would the logo look like? What would our mission statement be? Who would serve on the board?

Every piece had to be built from the ground up. Thankfully, our board members and Alana’s friends stepped in and helped carry some of that weight.

So how did the name come about?

Adam and I knew from the beginning that we wanted Alana’s name in it. This was all for her, and we wanted her at the center of it. We started with “Alana” and worked outward, pulling from her passions, how others described her, and what we hoped to accomplish. Name after name came and went until we landed on Alana’s Wings. The “wings” were a nod to her love for owls.

But it still felt incomplete.

Then one evening I was talking to one of Alana’s friends. I was telling her of our struggles with landing on a name for the nonprofit.

She looked at me while she thinking, than after a moment said …

“How about hope? Alana would want there to be hope.”

I knew in that moment that it was perfect, so I brought it to Adam.

Alana’s Wings of Hope was born.

Now we needed a logo…

Again, Adam and I were kicking around various ideas. A lot of them coming back to Alana’s love for owls. Then the logo came together in a way that still feels like a gift from Alana herself.

One day while working on my laptop, I noticed Alana’s account profiles were of a fairy. I looked deeper into it and discovered it was something she had created. When I discovered her artwork, everything clicked. It felt right that something she created would be at the center of all of this.

Then came the meetings with the school. We sat down with both the middle school and high school principals to introduce the nonprofit and discuss the scholarship and an 8th-grade acknowledgment award. Once again, their guidance was incredibly helpful. At the conclusion of the meeting, we were gifted with the full support of both the high school and middle school in making this promise into a reality in May of 2026.

Next, we needed to establish a bank account to support the scholarship.

This is where I have to thank every single person, family, organization, and the company Adam works for. The generosity shown after Alana’s passing made it possible to fund this scholarship today.

Through the generous donations we were able to not only commit money to the scholarship, but also to the programs within the school district and community that Alana loved.

While establishing the nonprofit, we worked with McCormicks to design ten professional level color guard flags along with ten new weighted flag poles and three custom made flag bags. Something we knew Alana would’ve truly loved!

Additionally, as we attended the band banquet on May 9^th to present the donation of the new color guard flags, Adam and I were able to donate $1,500 to the marching band to support their fundraising efforts in going to Hawaii this December for the Pearl Harbor Remembrance ceremony. Another band trip that Alana would’ve been over the moon to attend.

It is our hope that we can continue supporting the programs that mattered most to Alana while also awarding a scholarship each year to a graduating senior.

All of this work was completed before the new year. Nearly every weekend was spent building something so that by May, Alana’s scholarship could become a reality.

At the start of the year, we began officially meeting with our board. There were long discussions about logistics, fundraising, and the structure of the scholarship itself.

Our amazing board members have answered various texts and emails. They volunteered their time. And, despite each of us processing our own grief for a beautiful young woman who is no longer here, they kept rising to the occasion.

Tiffany Thurlby

Joni Watson

Shasta Goff

Thank you for helping make this promise a reality. Thank you for loving Alana so deeply. And thank you for continuing to show up for us.

After all that work, we still needed to create the foundation for the scholarship.

We decided to follow the example from the American Legion. At the 8^th grade graduation, Alana was the recipient of the American Legion award. That very award now is displayed in her cabinet with her urn.

The 8^th grade team looked at the traits that the American Legion outlined and nominated a student that they felt exemplified those traits.

So, we looked at Alana. What made Alana so special? So unique?

We were able to determine seven traits that made Alana stand out.

• Kindness

• Compassion

• Inclusivity

• Tenacity

• Academic Drive

• Community Involvement

• Passion for the arts

Then it was time to come up with another name. After much brainstorming, the suggestions were presented and one stood out able the rest.

Alana’s Ripple Effect

In the days following Alana’s passing, after seeing the farewell messages writing on poster boards by Alana’s peers and teachers and hearing the stories others shared about her, it became clear that Alana truly had an impact on those around her. We took to saying that she was a pebble that was tossed into a pond. She didn’t know how far reaching the ripples were that she created.

That became the inspiration for her memorial scholarship. We were going to uncover other pebbles that are actively making the world a better place to live in.

Then there was the coordination with the schools. We had to make sure the nomination forms were dispersed to the teachers and school staff. The submissions collected and reviewed. The board had to approve the recipients. Then the paperwork for awards night had to be submitted to the guidance office for the scholarship, while we worked with Tiffany Thurlby to present the award at 8th grade graduation.

Finally, we were prepared to award Alana’s scholarship and disperse the 8th grade acknowledgement award.

Well … almost …

There was still the certificate to design and the words to prepare.

For hours, I sat at my laptop attempting to write speeches. Tears falling as I write, trying to put the unspeakable into words. I write about my daughter, her loss and all we are trying to do to honor her memory. While I write, Adam prepares himself. He summons the strength to stand in front of others sharing my words.

Today, Adam and I have prepared in every possible way.

There is nothing easy about standing in front of a room of people and speaking about your child who is no longer here. When we are no longer in front of the crowd the tears will come. The emotional weight of this task will exhaust us to our core.

But it is our fierce love for our daughter that makes this possible. Our determination to honor a promise made to a curious 15-year-old girl.

And it is our hope that Alana will be remembered for many years to come.