The Brooke It Forward Foundation was founded in memory of Brooke Posey. Immediately after a tragic accident took Brooke’s life in 2017, the family began marking small, random acts of kindness with #BrookeItForward. We also knew, even from the early days after losing Brooke, that we wanted to use our tragedy to better the lives of others. The big question was, “What project could we adopt that would reflect Brooke’s heart?”

In Summer 2019, shortly before Brooke’s 20th birthday, the answer came from Bella, a third-grader in Kentucky. Bella had figured out while still a first-grader that not all of her classmates could afford birthday parties, so she set out to do something about it, and she created “birthday boxes.” These shoebox-sized parties contain the basics needed for a birthday celebration: a box of cake mix, a container of icing, candles, party plates and napkins, and a couple of party hats.

So simple, yet so meaningful.

After communicating with Bella’s mom, we were encouraged to create and distribute “Birthday Boxes.” We are so grateful to have crossed paths with Bella. The “Birthday Boxes” reflect perfectly Brooke’s love of children, concern for those less fortunate, and general affinity for all things related to celebrations.

With Bella’s blessing, the initial plan was to gift twenty boxes in honor of Brooke’s 20th birthday. Those boxes were received by Children’s Advocacy Center Hope House (Covington, Louisiana). The problem was that Hope House serves hundreds of children, a great number of whom are in foster care. Our first twenty boxes weren’t enough for even this one entity.

The rest, they say, is history. Realizing that we’d only scratched the surface of a need, The Brooke It Forward Foundation was officially born.

Our goal for this first year is to provide “Birthday Boxes” for all of the children of Hope House.  Going forward, we plan to #BrookeItForward wherever there’s a need.