Amy’s Kisses Foundation is hosted its 11th annual Walk to Remember Sunday at Tyler State Park in Newtown to support its domestic violence prevention efforts, writes Emily Neil for WHYY.
The walk honors Amy Perez and her two children, Molly and Gregory, whose lives were taken by Perez’s estranged husband fourteen years ago.
Proceeds will support A Bowl Full of Hearts, a program teaching preschool through second graders how to develop and maintain healthy relationships.
“We just want to start the conversation as early as possible about what constitutes a good friend, when you should walk away, and you don’t have to be friends with everyone or someone who doesn’t make you happy,” said Jill Perez Gobora, Amy’s sister and executive director of the foundation. “You have the power to make a choice.”
United in grief, Perez Gobora and Patti Cush, Amy’s lifelong best friend, co-founded the organization a year after her death as a way to heal.
The foundation also offers scholarships to students in need and has already awarded more than $250,000 to recipients both locally and nationwide.
To learn more about the foundation’s powerful mission, its impact on young lives, and the story behind the walk, read Emily Neil’s full piece on WHYY.
