Remembering Your Smile

The karalynnwricefoundation has partnered with GotSneakers – a sneaker recycling organization to turn old sneakers into cash and keep them out of the landfills. Please collect used sneakers and email me at kwrice20@gmail.com to make arrangements for pick up or drop off.

The karalynnwricefoundation likes to “pay it forward” and assist other organizations and schools when possible. A good friend through my son’s former travel baseball team, Kim Martin Pogue, posted on her Facebook page that she was looking for 500 pieces or less puzzles for her class at Troy Buchanan High School in Troy, Missouri. On October 28, 2023 the foundation made a donation of 12 puzzles, 4 games, and a Molecular Model Set for Organic Stereochemistry.

Simply being able to say our loved ones' names out loud, to talk about them so that their memory lives on, is a crucial part of honoring the lives they lived and how much they meant (and still mean) to us. Why is this so important? Because people die, but our love for them never dies. With that being said the karalynnwricefoundation has adopted another roadside to clean. This roadway is a route well travelled route I've taken for the majority of my life, the entire Wrice family has taken this route often as a way to a way to get to all of the Webster Groves activities. Rock Hill will always be home, and the large group friends that I grew up with still live there or frequent the area often. Many of the Rock Hill "family" have already called saying that they have seen Kara's sign. Anthony thanks for letting me know the night it went up.

Very very busy weekend, fulfilling and overwhelming all in one. Grateful for all of the help and support from family and friends. The karalynnwricefoundation adopted a stretch of roadway. The location, which I’m shocked was still available, is between Selma & Lockwood traveling east on Big Bend. A route often taken by the kids , mine included, as they walked down to Old Orchard to hang out and wait for rides home. The foundation is required to pickup/cleanup once a quarter. The Tavalon crew already gave me the okay to pencil them in. I’ll be reaching out to the rest of you soon. We could start at Selma, head towards Lockwood, and end up at Boardwalk Cafe breakfast! Quarterly cleanup dates TBD.

I took advantage of the MLK Holiday and drove down to Kittyhawk, NC., the OBX. A place you knew existed when I had no clue what the acronym meant. I ordered this plaque for your Christmas present this year. When I stopped in to confirm that it was ready the guy working there went through the stack of "Fish" that had been printed up. After finding yours, within seconds he noticed your age, and immediately grabbed his cordless drill. He instructed me to go out and find a spot and he'd be out shortly to get the plaque attached to the pier. After he hung your fish he asked if he could give me a hug and pray with me. Very comforting hug, he then explained that he was raising his 16 year old daughter by himself after loosing his wife 2 years ago. Missing your SMILE, we miss you Kara Lynn!

A bistro chair from Bryant Park was purchased in memory of Kara. The chair has a plaque with an inscription honoring her short time spent here with us. I was personally in New York and placed the chair in the park. Chairs are put away each evening and put back out each morning. So it is never in the same place. If you are ever in New York, stop by the park and look to see if you can find her chair. If you do, tag the karalynnwricefoundation.org or the Kara Lynn Wrice Facebook page, and go buy a lottery ticket immediately because finding the chair will be like finding a needle in a haystack. LOL

We miss your Smile and camaraderie. Kara would have been graduating in 2023 from Webster Groves High School with her team-mates and friends. Her team-mates have added her name to the Volleyball Senior Night Shirt in her memory, which will be worn at this game. If interested in purchasing a t-shirt, go to this link; https://themash-pit.com/products/webster-groves-senior-night-shirts

A 50/50 raffle will be held at the Legacy Volleyball Tournament on April 30 and May 1, 2022. The funds that are raised will benefit the karalynnwricefoundation that was established July 2021.

An all-day fundraiser was held at Steve's Hotdogs in support of the karalynnwricefoundation on what would have been Kara's 17th Birthday. Owner Steve Ewing and Kara's dad Karl Wrice grew up together in Rock Hill, Missouri. Upon hearing the tragic news, Steve and his family reached out and offered to help in any way that they could. The end result was a beautiful song featured in the video section of this website and the all-day fundraiser, which was attended by a number of Kara's class mates, a multitude of friends, and Wrice family members. We hope you can be a part of future karalynnwricefoundation fundraiser as well.