Ryan’s Tribute: Supporting families who have lost children
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Instead of a typical urn for Ryan Hanzes无毛视频� cremation, his friend, Mason Zieglar, custom- made one using valve pan covers from a race car. Ryan was a member of the Mason Ziegler Racing Team. The engraved urn includes Ryan无毛视频檚 photograph and winning flags from Eldora, his favorite racetrack.
In November, Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute sent Comfort Boxes to the families of the 13 U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan earlier this year. The boxes are meant to bring solace to parents who have lost children. Pictured, from left, are board member Mark Rafail, Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute founder Beth Hanzes, and board member Kim Masi-Brown.
Third-grade students in Jeremy Winkler无毛视频檚 Hatfield Elementary School class donated 3,000 pairs of socks to Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute for blessing bags and others in need. Pictured in the front are students Callie Solarchick (left) and Antonio Moore. In the back, from left, are Fritz Conaway, Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute board president Aaron Hanzes, school Principal Heidi Mears, nonprofit founder Beth Hanzes, Bonnie Conaway and Winkler. The Conaways are Beth Hanzes无毛视频� parents.
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Beth Hanzes, of South Union Township, shows a remembrance piece for her son Ryan in this 2019 file photo. This Tree of Life shows how Ryan, an organ donor, helped others. Beth started Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute to give comfort to families who have lost a loved one, and provide ideas for non-traditional memorial services and remembrances.
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Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute is a nonprofit created in memory of Ryan Hanzes, of South Union Township, who died in 2017 at age 24. The nonprofit wants to give comfort to families who have lost a loved one, especially a child, and provide ideas for nontraditional memorial services and remembrances.
Through her nonprofit Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute, Beth Hanzes wants to fulfill a simple mission: 无毛视频淲ho can we touch, who can we help, who can we support?无毛视频�
The foundation, started in 2019, was formed as a way for Beth to keep her son Ryan无毛视频檚 memory alive after his death in a 2017 car crash. He was 24.
无毛视频淗e was a very happy, bubbly son, very easygoing, very simple,无毛视频� Beth said. 无毛视频淗e didn无毛视频檛 require material things in life. He loved people and animals.无毛视频�
After his death, she said stories of Ryan无毛视频檚 kindness to others poured out 无毛视频� things like co-workers telling her how he无毛视频檇 take them dinner if they didn无毛视频檛 feel well.
无毛视频淚 guess I didn无毛视频檛 realize how giving he was because it无毛视频檚 second-nature for our family,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 just what we do.无毛视频�
His smile, his hugs and his distinct wave also left an impression, the South Union Township mother said.
Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute embodies her son无毛视频檚 kind nature through several projects, Beth said, including Comfort Boxes that are sent to families who have lost children, and its Caring at Christmas Campaign, which is currently ongoing.
Comfort Boxes include lavender soap and essential oil, a flannel sheets candle (Ryan无毛视频檚 favorite scent), tissues, seeds of remembrance and prayer coins. Families also get to choose whether they would like a memory bear made with their loved one无毛视频檚 clothing, or a piece of jewelry with a photo of their child.
Beth stressed that boxes aren无毛视频檛 only for those who have lost young children because parents who have lost adult children also suffer greatly.
无毛视频淟osing a child can affect anybody at any age, and it无毛视频檚 still that same pain,无毛视频� Beth said. 无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 not supposed to happen; you无毛视频檙e not supposed to lose a child.无毛视频�
Beth said the boxes are meant to help hold a loved one无毛视频檚 memory in their hearts.
In many ways, it无毛视频檚 why she started Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute 无毛视频� as a way to keep her son无毛视频檚 kindness and generosity alive.
无毛视频淚 try to look for the positive memories. I do the things he无毛视频檇 want me to do. I get up every day and have a purpose,无毛视频� she said.
Last month, the nonprofit was able to send Comfort Boxes to the families of the 13 U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan. The soldiers died in an attack outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in August.
无毛视频淭hrough many channels and chains 无毛视频� it took almost two months 无毛视频� I was able to get all of the addresses of their families,无毛视频� Beth said.
The project was especially meaningful to her because all of the soldiers were in their 20s, the same age as Ryan when he died.
Through the Caring at Christmas Campaign, the nonprofit gathers gifts or clothing for children, supplies for pets and items for the area无毛视频檚 homeless population.
From 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute is partnering with Goodie Girls, a Uniontown bakery, for a stuff-the-bus event in Storey Square.
Items needed include new, unwrapped toys and games, electronics, educational items/books, baby items, and pet supplies. Items like easy-to-open snacks, bottled water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand-warmers or gloves can be donated for blessing bags.
There are also donation boxes placed at Uniontown locations: Third Presbyterian Church, 425 Union St.; State Farm Insurance, 37 W. Main St.; and Sullivan Brothers Coffee Company, 23 N. Beeson Boulevard.
Those boxes will be picked up on Dec. 22.
A third-grade class at Hatfield Elementary School dedicated the enter month of October (they called it 无毛视频淪ocktober无毛视频�) to collecting socks for Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute.
In total, the class gathered 3,000 pairs for Beth to put in the blessing bags. Some were also donated to Children and Youth Services. And through Ellie无毛视频檚 Elf Project, hats and gloves were also donated.
Beth said she is always awed at how generous people are.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 amazing the people that come together to help others at Christmas,无毛视频� Beth said. 无毛视频淚 feel like Fayette County gets a bad rap 无毛视频� but it无毛视频檚 the most giving community and county I无毛视频檝e ever seen. It just warms my heart.无毛视频�
Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute is a 无毛视频渘ontraditional memorial and bereavement foundation.无毛视频�
Beth explained that her son wasn无毛视频檛 fond of funeral homes, so their family chose to honor him by foregoing that somber tradition. Instead, they celebrated his life.
The family asked people to wear comfortable clothes to the church service. Beth said they sat in the back row 无毛视频� Ryan无毛视频檚 favorite spot.
Instead of a typical urn for Ryan无毛视频檚 cremation, his friend, Mason Zieglar, custom-made one using valve pan covers from a race car. Ryan was a member of the Mason Ziegler Racing Team. The engraved urn includes Ryan无毛视频檚 photograph and winning flags from Eldora, his favorite racetrack.
After the service, Mason drove a race car with the urn back to the Hanzes无毛视频� home, a procession of beeping cars following.
The family set up tents for friends and family to have a day to celebrate Ryan.
无毛视频�(Funerals) don无毛视频檛 have to be how they were for hundreds of years. That无毛视频檚 not a rule,无毛视频� Beth said. 无毛视频淲e did what he would like and what he would think was cool.无毛视频�
Someone suggested to her that she share her story, and use it as a way to help others. Family, friends and volunteers helped her get the nonprofit started, holding one major fundraiser each year, and other smaller ones.
At one of those fundraisers, Beth said she looked out into the crowd and saw three families who had lost children sitting together. She knew it must无毛视频檝e been difficult for them 无毛视频� the pain never goes away 无毛视频� but she also knew it must be healing to share grief with those who understand.
无毛视频淚 thought, what I无毛视频檓 doing is working,无毛视频� she said.
While Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute focuses mostly on local families, Beth said her goal is to reach into neighboring counties, and eventually across the country.
Doing so helps her, she said, because she无毛视频檚 able to continue to spread the love her son showed so many others in his life.
无毛视频淟ong-term, only really famous people you remember the names of,无毛视频� Beth said. 无毛视频淚t would be great if his name was remembered because of how many people we helped over the years.无毛视频�
Anyone who has lost a child or who knows someone who has can reach out to Beth at ryanstributecharity@gmail.com to receive a Comfort Box.
Beth said she无毛视频檚 always happy for volunteers. In the immediate sense, she said they could help sort gifts that have come in through the Christmas campaign. They are also welcome to help work at fundraisers, solicit donations, or help with social media outreach.
To volunteer, reach out to Beth through ryanstributecharity@gmail.com.
To donate, send checks to Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute to 118 Southwood Drive, Uniontown. The checks should be made out to Ryan无毛视频檚 Tribute. There is also a 无毛视频渄onate无毛视频� button on the website, ryanstribute.org. The nonprofit is also a listed charity through the Amazon Smile program in which the online retailer donates .5% of all eligible purchases to the chosen charity at no additional cost to the customer.
For more information, visit smile.amazon.com.