Blair Michaela Shanahan Lane may be our youngest GIRLFRIEND OF THE WEEK, but she exudes the integrity, character, kindness and GIRLFRIEND bossy boots that are reserved for our most special GIRLFRIENDS. She earned this award by noticing something that no other adult seemed to observe. Each time a foster child came to stay with her family, their feet were cold and bare. The children would appear with their suitcase and a stuffed animal, no doubt provided by children and family services, but it was the tiny detail of their feet that touched Blair’s heart.
This year, as a Junior Girl Scout, Blair launched the first step in earning the coveted Gold Star Award with a mission to cover every single bare foot in the foster system. It was something she considered, drafted, projected and planned. Blair’s giving was an art. When she was in third grade, she came home and packaged up a pair of her sneakers in order to give them to a girl in school who was left out of gym class earlier that day because she had no sneakers. Her mom even remembers when Blair gave away her new bike to a girl who had little.
Today, Blair’s mother Michele, her friends and family have taken over her mission, because the girl who was the first to witness the cold feet of lost children died on July 5th, the victim of a stray bullet shot by nearby residents at an apartment complex celebrating the Fourth of July. When her life ceased, Blair gave even more. Her lungs are helping a 13 year-old girl to breathe. A kidney assures one family that their 17 year-old son can plan for the future and a 66 year-old woman can grow into old age. Her heart, perhaps the biggest part of Blair, now beats inside a boy of 14.
This Sunday, the 9th Annual USG Golf Tournament will donate proceeds to Blair’s Foster Socks, the foundation that now bears her name. The organization’s “Hope in Pairs” program provides socks for children in desperate circumstances. The tournament begins at 1pm and is open to the public. Persons interested in participating in the tournament should contact Joe Cherrito at 816-356-1111.
For more information about the Foundation and to find out how you can participate in upcoming events, go to www.blairsfostersocks.org.
