Amanda Williams

 

 http://www.broomheadfuneralhome.com/obituary/amanda-williams

Hi Everyone,

I am excited for the opportunity that we have to serve Amanda's husband and children in their time of need... Some of you were involved with the very first Anything for a Friend event where I shaved my head for my sister, Becky, 8 years ago. We have become a non-profit organization since then and have added a Giving Tree portion to our organization. We have created a club at Weber State University for students to be involved with service and giving back to their community. In addition to the club, we have an annual 5K each year that helps to fund the Giving Tree Program.

What I am asking from all of you is to get out and raise or donate funds/ gift cards for this Giving Tree. In an effort to involve those who love Amanda and her family and make the tree as meaningful as possible, Anything for a Friend/F2TF Team Tyler will donate $500. The tree will, therefore, have at least $500 worth of cash (and can have much, much more depending on your efforts!). Anything for a Friend has partnered with the Home Depot and they donate all of the trees for this program. We have had Giving Trees that were presented from $500 to $25,000...the sky is the limit! Get out of your comfort zone and start asking for support for our beautiful friend! The donations can be in the form of cash/checks or gift cards. If someone would like to donate a check, please have them write it to 'Anything for a Friend' and we will cash the checks to have the money for the tree when we present it to the family.  I can also accept donations through Venmo if someone is out of town and would like to still donate.  

We will be presenting the tree to the Williams Family next week. I will take care of getting the tree, and anyone who is available the day we choose to present it can meet to put the tree together before we take it to their home. Thanks for your love and support for the Williams Family.
Luv, Brenda

The Giving Tree Program has been a truly amazing legacy of giving and it all began with Cyndi Tangren (Anything for a Friend's 8th Recipient) answering the call of a hurting family.  The Shaw's had just recently found out that Dylan, their 10-year-old son had a deadly cancer in his brain stem called a DIPG. They were devastated and Cyndi jumped to action with her family and put together a tree full of gift cards and money for Dylan and his family.

The Shaw's were so touched by this expression and felt the fresh air of hope for the first time since the diagnosis.  Dylan wanted to pass the goodness on to someone else in pain.  He met and became quick friends with Tyler Smith (Anything for a Friend's 10th recipient), who had been diagnosed with liver cancer.  Dylan knew that he wanted to light up the dark cancer world that Tyler had been thrown into, so he held a bake sale and raised the money to put together a tree for Tyler and his family.  It was just what they needed!

Tyler, true to his nature wanted to continue the legacy of giving so he and his family quietly went about this and surrounding communities delivering a “Giving Tree” to numerous families in need and without regard to their own pain brought comfort and joy to others.  Among the recipients of the "Giving Tree" was Brandon Winger (Anything for a Friend's 13th recipient), who passed it on to Maddie Cook who then passed it on to Josh Harvey.

The collective statement of hope, love, and support that embodies the “Giving Trees” is not ending!  The Shaw’s, Smith’s, Winger’s and Harvey’s lost their beautiful sons to this deadly disease which most would believe was the end of the “Giving Tree”, but not even 3 months after losing sweet Tyler, the Smith’s put their pain into action.  This action has taken the form of a dinner and benefit concert in Tyler’s memory in August of 2012.  Over $12,000 was generated from this benefit concert and will be put towards helping numerous families through the legacy of the “Giving Tree”.  Each tree will bring hope and love to troubled souls and each recipient of the Giving Tree will hear about Tyler's courageous F2TF (Fight to the Finish), which was his battle mantra and have that powerful symbol in their home, helping them to set their own determination to Fight to the Finish.