Today we’d like to introduce you to Keri Morrison.
Keri, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I lost my son Jake in a drowning accident on November 30, 2013. He was six weeks away from his 3rd birthday. At the time of his passing, his baby sister was three months old and I made the decision right away when she was old enough that she was going to take survival swim lessons. When she (Julia) was eight months old, we enrolled her in Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) lessons and we were so impressed with the program that we decided to start a nonprofit, so we could help families that couldn’t afford the lessons still have the opportunity to participate.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not been a smooth road. Losing a child is like no pain, you will ever experience in your life. Your heart is shattered into a million pieces and you really don’t even know how you are going to make it to the next day but somehow, I did and little by little, my heart has healed over the past five years.
Please tell us about Live Like Jake Foundation.
The Live Like Jake Foundation provides scholarships for ISR Self Rescue swim lessons as well as provides financial and emotional assistance for funeral and medical expenses to families that have been directly affected by a drowning. In just over four years, we have provided over 1250 scholarships in 23 states and have assisted dozens of families with medical and funeral expenses. There really is no other local foundation that does what we do for childhood drowning prevention on this scale.
I am most proud of what we have been able to accomplish with our annual 5k event. Our 2018 race had over 1400 participants and raised over $85,000. These funds enable us to reach so many families. Our 5th annual event is scheduled for May 11, 2019, at downtown Abacoa.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I actually grew up in Palm Beach Gardens (my mother still lives in my childhood home), so I have so many fond memories growing up here in South Florida. I would have to say some of my favorite memories were just going to the beach with my family.
Contact Info:
- Website: livelikejake.com
- Phone: 561-316-4924
- Email: livelikejake@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livelikejake3939/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livelikejake/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/livelikejake
Image Credit:
Sea Flowers Photography, Jake is Kinder Image
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