We are so grateful for the support of the community.
Towson, MD (Vocus/PRWEB) January 05, 2011
The One Love Foundation is pleased to announce that its first fundraising goal has been met and the Love family wants to thank all of those who showed support, kindness and incredible generosity!
The One Love Foundation is a tribute to Yeardley Reynolds Love, who wore #1 as a lacrosse player at both Notre Dame Prep and the University of Virginia. Yeardley lived her life with one purpose: to make her world a better place.
In the same way, One Love Foundation's driving goal is to encourage and develop in children and young adults four qualities that Yeardley exemplified ... service, kindness, humility and sportsmanship ... that together add up to One Love.
The foundation would like to "bring out the Yeardley" in everyone by igniting the spirit of One Love in students, encouraging them to choose a path of goodness. And the community responded with incredible generosity and acts of kindness to help the foundation meet its first goal.
"We are so grateful for the support of the community, "said Sharon Love, Yeardley's mother.
"They have been generous beyond words and so kind to our family," said Lexie Love, Yeardley's sister. "What a wonderful tribute to Yeardley and a testament to the goodness in all of us!"
On January 1, 2011, 700 people gathered to honor Yeardley and the life she led at a fundraiser held at the Notre Dame Prep school (NDP), Yeardley's high school alma mater. Yeardley's cousin Sharon Robinson said the idea for the fundraiser actually came from Yeardley herself. Yeardley and her friends hoped to organize and host a New Year's Eve party in 2011 to benefit a good cause and help those in need.
"Then, when we realized New Year's Day was 1/1/11 this year, we decided that would be a wonderful tribute to #1," Robinson said. "It was the perfect way to end our first fundraising drive."
With the amazing support of so many people, One Love helped NDP secure a $500,000 matching grant from the Charles T. Bauer Foundation to create an endowed scholarship in Yeardley's name and raise money towards a turf field for Yeardley's beloved lacrosse.
"We are thrilled that thanks to the generosity of the Charles T. Bauer Foundation, future generations of need-based students will have the opportunity for a NDP education. We all know how special NDP was to Yeardley, and think this is an amazing tribute to her," said Sharon Love.
How did they achieve this ambitious fundraising goal in a relatively short period of time? In short, thanks to the generosity and initiative of so many in the community. Starting with the inaugural One Love event in New York City last summer, and other generous people who came forward to host events in support of One Love, including Portside Lacrosse hosting a golf outing (not to mention the participants who endured a pouring rain storm) and 175 runners who went "Every Yard for Yeardley" in the Richmond marathon, half-marathon and 8k. Together they raised an amazing $61,000 for One Love.
Others gathered at NDP for the Blazer Dash in late September that raised close to $30,000; and again the following week at the Orioles night, which was a beautiful fall evening spent with friends and supporters. Just a few weeks ago, a Washington, DC crowd hosted a Christmas party for One Love and a local DC charity, complete with a silent auction and good cheer. All of these events, plus the generous corporate support of organizations such as Under Armour, Sports Her Way in Baltimore, Baltimore Coffee & Tea, the Ravens, RBC Wealth Management, NDP and many more, combined to help One Love meet the initial goal. And it's not just adults. The NDP senior class has directed their senior class gift to the Yeardley Love Field.
Off to a strong start, the One Love foundation will continue to raise funds to make the turf field at NDP a reality. As the foundation moves forward One Love's broader mission is to encourage and develop in young adults four qualities of character that Yeardley exemplified: service, kindness, humility and sportsmanship.
The foundation would like to ignite the spirit of One Love in students, encouraging them to choose a path of goodness. Programs in the works include student-athlete mentoring, grants to student-athletes who wish to pursue service internships, camps for children in need and much more.
None of this would be possible without the generous support and kindness of the community and to them, the Love family says thank you.
To contribute to the One Love foundation, or to find out about upcoming events, please visit http://www.joinonelove.org.
ALL Media Inquiries about the One Love Foundation, Yeardley Love, or any other media matters relating to the Love family should be directed to Karen McGagh at karen(at)karenmcgagh(dot)com. Updates on the One Love Foundation and other matters will be provided.
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