STEFANIE’S LEGACY OF LOVE & SUPPORT
We don’t get to meet the beautiful, vibrant, and wonderfully unique family members who our moms, dads, siblings, spouses, and loved ones are grieving. But, hearing tributes like this one from Gillian Manzanares about her daughter, Stefanie, leave us so honored to know our special people through the eyes of those who loved them and knew them best.
- “She had the biggest heart ever, she adored all of her cousins and her brother and sister.
- She was best friends with her older brother and super protective of her little sister. To this day everyone still calls her sissy bc she was everyone’s sissy.
- She had these amazing eyes.
- She loved to read books and loved to laugh at scary movies.
- Her favorite place was Glamis, where she rode quads and could outride anyone!
- She was always willing to help anyone that asked and even those that didn’t ask. There was one time when she was 10 the school called to tell me that there were kids making fun of a young girl who was in a wheelchair. Stefanie was not about to allow that to continue and stood up for the little girl. It was so sweet but I wasn’t surprised because of the person she was.”
Stefanie’s mom Gillian, her dad Cres, and her sister Emalee started coming to Billy’s Place after they tried attending a grief support center and never really felt comfortable. At first, Gillian was scared for Emalee. As a mom who had lost a daughter, Gillian was gripped by unyielding pain herself and knew she and Emalee both needed a strong support system.
On their first night at Billy’s Place, Gillian remembers putting her faith in our team:
“I put my hand on Kris’ arm and begged her to take care of my daughter. She still is today!”
Now, the Manzanares want to be sure other families experience the same care.
“I have never felt uncomfortable or judged by anyone at Billy’s Place,” Gillian says. “And because of how much love they show Stefanie’s little sister, I wanted to make sure they would be able to continue this for everyone else going through the same things we are.”
Through the years, the Manzanares family have become one of our most successful team-builders and fundraisers at our annual celebration and fundraising event, the Hike for Hope. They started participating as a memorial to Stefanie. Since they did so many things to celebrate her memory, they loved the opportunity to do something more fun! Now it’s a competition each year to beat out the number of team members and dollars raised from the year before. Go, Team Sissy!
They’re also faithful monthly supporters of Billy’s Place—having set up a recurring donation through Cres’s employer. Not a month goes by without Stefanie’s family reminding other families that they are not alone, helping to strengthen our outreach and group support, and honoring Stefanie’s memory in a way that has an immediate impact on other families like theirs.
Gillian loves to receive postcards from Billy’s Place that share how much has been raised through their efforts, including from friends and family members who love Stefanie and support Billy’s Place in her memory.
We’ll never be able to meet Stefanie, but through Gillian and her family, we are honored and humbled to be part of such a sweet, cool, and special girl’s legacy.
