Description
A tragic loss can often affect an entire community. This rang true on June 20th, 2006, the day Jennifer Fante passed away, leaving a void in the lives of not only her family, but all that knew her.
The delicate nature of life was witnessed firsthand by her husband, parents, son and three sisters. After coming home from her daily workout, Jen expressed that she had a headache. Within just six hours, she suffered two severe brain hemorrhages and after five days Jennifer, just 31, was pronounced brain dead by her doctors. She left behind a devastated family, over 2600 friends and family who mourned at her wake and a nineteen month old son who will never know how amazing his mother truly was. The decision to continue Jennifer's legacy of giving and caring for others started immediately, by donating her organs, providing an invaluable gift to perfect strangers.
Jennifer Fante was an ordinary woman with an extraordinary soul. She had a natural love for and connection with children that began in high school when Jen volunteered as a child sponsor. She was committed to making a difference in the life of a child by spending every weekend and holiday with him until he was safely placed in a foster home. This was only the beginning of Jen's tireless dedication in helping unfortunate children. She generously donated to various children's charities during the holiday season in lieu of purchasing gifts. It was a natural progression for her to pursue a career in education. She found it extremely rewarding to work on such an intimate level with children and was fulfilled knowing that she was enriching the lives of future generations.
God blessed Jen with her own child and the satisfaction that she gained from motherhood was apparent in everything she did. Tragically, she was only able to see Luke grow for the first nineteen months of his life. In that short time Jennifer provided the best for her son, laying the foundation for strong family values and a loving, nurturing home. She and her husband decided she would leave her beloved teaching job so that she could fully dedicate herself to Luke. She worked part time in the family business and brought Luke to the office so that he would always be surrounded by the love of his family. To Jennifer, her son's development and well being were paramount to everything.
The death of our daughter, wife and sister, Jennifer Fante, has inspired us to create an organization that she would be proud of. The Jennifer Fante Foundation was started to contribute to the broken community that she was a vital part of and to make a difference in the lives of young children, whose lives were never enriched for having known her.
Clearly, the life she led and the values she held so near and dear warrant her legacy to live on. It is the goal of The Jennifer Fante Foundation to make a difference, no matter how big or small, in the life of a child. Just as Jen would like to see her own son reap the benefits of a giving community, she would wish nothing less for every child.
Jennifer was committed to doing what she was able to make sure that no child's social and educational experiences were hindered. For this reason, our first goal is to raise enough money to fund the class trips for all students at the school where Jennifer taught, School 5 in Yonkers, NY. Beyond that, additional funds will be raised to restore local playgrounds and offer a scholarship at Westlake High School, which Jennifer attended.
Please consider becoming a part of the continuation of a very special legacy. We look forward to sharing the mission and vision of The Jennifer Fante Foundation with you and informing you of our accomplishments.
"Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. They seem not to notice us, hovering, averting our eyes, and they seldom do offer thanks, but what we do for them is never wasted."- Garrison Keillor
