It’s a Molly-day: Free fun for residents of shelter: Through memorial fund, teen who died still causing smiles
Molly Fitzgerald, who drowned in her family’s pool last year. (File photo)
By SYDNEY SCHWARTZ The Patriot Ledger
MARSHFIELD - Molly Fitzgerald spent her life making others smile.
She participated in track and field hockey, loved to dance and cook, and, her father said, gave ‘‘Molly hugs’’ when she saw him.
Molly
died in June 2006 in her family’s swimming pool. She suffered an
epileptic seizure while swimming, just one week before her 15th
birthday.
But today, opening day at the 140th Marshfield Fair, she is putting smiles on a few more faces.
As
its first public outreach project, the Molly Fitzgerald Memorial Fund
is bringing nearly 40 residents of the Carolina Hill Shelter to the
fair.
The fund provides college scholarships, supports community service projects and helps fund school programs in Marshfield.
‘‘Any
time you can make a kid’s life better than the day before, it’s a good
thing to do for the community,’’ said Molly’s father, Jim Fitzgerald, a
former Marshfield selectman.
In the days after Molly died,
family members, friends and neighbors gave nearly $30,000 to the fund.
This spring, the Molly Fitzgerald Walk raised more than $65,000.
The fund has provided three $1,000 scholarships to Marshfield High
School students and contributed to the Marshfield High School Grad
Night Life program.
This summer, Molly Fitzgerald Fund board
members wanted to do something to help children in the community. The
fair seemed to provide the perfect opportunity.
‘‘During the
summer, it’s hard to do programs that really involve children, because
so much is geared around the schools,’’ Fitzgerald said. ‘‘People are
on vacation.’’
The Carolina Hill Shelter, in Marshfield, is a
transitional shelter for homeless women and children. The shelter
houses from 13 to 16 families at a time, and many families stay for
about six months.
Fitzgerald said prices at the fair - $10 for admission and $18 for a
ride wristband - are too high for some families staying at the shelter.
‘‘There
are lots of kids there (at the shelter),’’ he said. ‘‘Odds are they’re
not going to be able to get to the fair or to be able to afford the
fair.
‘‘If this brings a little happiness into the kids’ lives,
then that’s a good thing. That’s really what Molly was all about. It
ties in with her whole persona incredibly well.’’
Fair
organizers are giving the Carolina Hill residents free admission, and
the Molly Fitzgerald Fund is paying for wristbands and vouchers for
food at Crest Family Catering. It is also spending money for games and
souvenirs.
Molly was a freshman honors student and athlete at
Marshfield High School. She loved the fair and had just started to go
alone with her friends, without parental supervision, her father said.
‘‘We
opened it up to the whole center,’’ Fitzgerald said, referring to the
Carolina Hill Shelter. ‘‘Make a real Marshfield Fair day for these
folks. Molly goes to the fair and takes some friends with her.’’
