A Very Special Rose Garden
The Gift of Shoes Inspires Fairview to Honor a Legacy of Kindness
A very Special Rose Garden dedication Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at Fairview Elementary School was a fitting tribute to a NorthBay Healthcare employee who made a difference in the lives of scores of children who desperately needed new shoes.
Rose Kennedy, who lost her battle to cancer in February 2013, left a legacy of compassion and caring that continues to extend to children at Fairview, said Art DeNio, NorthBay Healthcare's vice president and chief finance officer.
Rose's husband, Michael Shafer, and her NorthBay colleagues were joined at a special ceremony in front of the school by nearly every child who received a pair of shoes through the program - more than 75 of them.
Rose first learned that many children at Fairview were coming to school with ill-fitting hand-me-down shoes when she participated in NorthBay Healthcare's Adopt-a-school program during the holidays in December 2012. She and her finance team had already adopted Laura Gay's kindergarten classroom, and after a conversation with Laura, it didn't take Rose long to figure out that new shoes would be on the gift list.
Laura shared that several children had shoes that were either too big or too small, and many times asked if they could take them off in class because their feet hurt, revealing socks with holes.
For families with big problems, shoes were not a priority, noted Laura.
It touched Rose's heart, and her team went into action, not only providing shoes to every child in the class, but fulfilling other classroom needs, too.
And although Rose died in 2013, in the years that followed, her team at NorthBay continued to provide shoes, not just to Laura's class, but to the neediest students in other classroom, too.
"The NorthBay Healthcare Foundation has established the Rose F. Kennedy Endowment Fund, which we hope will perpetuate Rose's dream of helping the neediest school children have shoes and socks," explained Art.
Now it was the school's turn to celebrate Rose's memory, by dedicating a Special Rose Garden on campus.
"You just can't know what a big difference you've made in the lives of these students," said Principal Dave Marianno told the crowd. "Sometimes it's lonely business taking care of these kids, but then when you see people at NorthBay stepping up and giving a helping hand, you know you're not alone. We are grateful for our partnership with NorthBay."
Three new rose trees and three new rose bushes were planted in December, added to an area where there were already about 15 rose bushes growing, said Laura.
"They were in desperate need of pruning and cleaning up, so my husband Hal and I got out there and took care of it. We had some help from teachers Rich Lazzarini with the pruning, and Christina Newman with the soil analysis and now everything is in bloom and it's beautiful," she said.
A plaque in the center of the garden reads: "Rose F. Kennedy Memorial Endowment Fund Memorial Garden," and includes an etching of shoes and the words, "Your Vision Grows and Lives on."
"This is the only thing I can do for Rose today..." said Laura, "...to ensure that her memory lives on."
