by Lynn Oseredzuk
On May 29th, 2019, we suddenly lost our Phillip in a kayak accident.
Phillip was the happiest kid always. He did everything with a smile, and his zest for life was contagious. He would help anyone and expect nothing in return.
After Phillip’s passing the cards and letters we received from the community about all he had done to help others was so unbelievable. In just 16 short years Phillip had such dreams for such a bright and successful future.
He had started his own landscaping business and it was thriving. He loved to work hard and his work ethic was quite impressive. Phillip was very particular and honest and wanted to do right by all.
Phillip had a way of making anyone in his company feel good. He had a special way about him ever since he was a small boy. It was in Phillip’s memory that the Live Like Phillip (LLP) Foundation was born and we began our important mission of providing love and compassion to help families in the Bucks County community who have experienced the loss of a school-age child.
Within the first year of serving our community, I recognized the incredible importance of establishing peer groups for the surviving siblings, as I had no idea how to help my 13-year-old daughter.
As a parent, we are supposed to help our children and I felt hopeless about how to help my daughter, who was grieving the loss of her brother. Her heart was shattered and she and I both knew she needed help.
Meeting others who were on this same painful journey of losing a sibling seemed to be the help my daughter was so desperately looking for. In my search for this kind of community and support, I came up empty and so came the idea of starting our own peer group.
LLP’s vision is that no child will grieve alone. Processing grief is the hardest work you will ever do and it is lifelong. Kids, teens, and young adults need an outlet for their grief, so it does not come out in unhealthy ways.
Our vision is to own our own home and create a space and community for children grieving in Bucks County.
The ripple effect of my dream is that one day the kids who come to the peer group now will come back and serve and lead other children who are walking this painful journey and give back some of the hope they were given.
As we begin planning for what I hope will become an annual fundraiser I am asking if you would consider supporting the foundation as an event sponsor. Each sponsorship includes tickets to the event as we want to share these celebrations with our families and community supporters.
All proceeds from this event will go towards maintaining our peer groups and more importantly creating a permanent space for them by establishing a foundation home.
The event will take place on Friday, May 17th from 7:00 to 11:00pm at Waterfall Room, 2791 Southampton Road, Philadelphia. There will be dinner, dancing, a photo booth, raffles, a live auction and 50/50’s, along with special speakers.
For more info and for tickets, visit LiveLikePhillip.com. The deadline to purchase tickets is May 10th.
It is only with your support that we will make this important dream a reality. Thank you for your consideration and support.