After singing “Happy Birthday” to the late Bailey Moore, friends and family launched about 250 purple balloons Wednesday afternoon at Warsaw Community High School.
Some of Bailey’s friends wrote messages on their balloons about how much they loved or missed her. Some took videos or photos of the occassion.
Bailey would have turned 16 Wednesday. She fought Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia before dying March 3, 2011.
But the balloon launch was not a sad occassion. Instead, the launch was a way to celebrate Bailey and to announce the Bailey R. Moore Foundation.
Bailey’s mom, Julia Moore, said Cheryl Blakemore and Nicole Kelley came up with the idea to do the balloon launch. It was combined with the announcement of the foundation.
“The balloons for the kids is to honor Bailey and celebrate her dream – which was to help kids be all that they can be,” Julia said.
Bailey’s idea was to always help others. After she passed, t-shirts and bracelets were purchased by her friends to remember Bailey. The items read “Let It Go,” which was Bailey’s favorite saying. That ballooned into a scholarship fund. Those who knew her helped raise money for the fund. Bailey’s teacher, Nate Howett, did a fundraiser with the baseball team to raise money, Julia said.
The foundation’s sole purpose is to keep raising money for scholarships to help students, just like Bailey would have wanted.
Laura Kaufman, Julia said, helped with the paperwork to get the foundation going.
Money for the foundation comes only from the sale of Bailey Moore fasions – shirts, sweaters, bracelets, etc. – and private donations.
“One hundred percent of the proceeds go to the Bailey R. Moore Foundation Foundation for scholarships,” Julia emphasized.
In 2011, two scholarships of $2,000 each were given to Brock Davis and Krista Bragg. This year, three were given away, to Brady Ousley, Brooke Coats and Emily Williamson, according to Julia.
She said so far they have not had to touch the initial investment for the foundation. The scholarship money has been raised through the clothing sales and contributions.
Blakemore said Marsh and The Party Shop donated the balloons and helium and their time for Wednesday’s event.
“Part of it is that we were all so thrilled to celebrate Bailey’s birthday during anti-bullying month because her whole slogan was, ‘Let it go,’ and that is what we hope kids will think of, to let things go,” Blakemore said.
Bailey wanted people to be all they can be, Julia added.
“She was just an incredible girl and her legacy will live on with her foundation,” Blakemore said.
Julia said Vision It Now has partnered with the foundation to develop a website, letitgobmoore.com
