Remembering Aaron
We all know it. The best way to remember and live through Aaron’s passionate, fun-loving spirit is to rock on. To pursue the music we love, to help the lives of other youths who possess that inner drive, that inner desire, to play some fantastic music. Below are a few examples of how we are living through Aaron and his memorial fund.
Giving back through the
Aaron M. Stone Memorial fund
Rock On! Program
The Memorial Fund made its first gifts of musical instruments in the fall of 2017. The recipients were two students at the TROY School in Columbia City, one receiving a guitar and the other a keyboard. A third TROY student received a drum set a few months later. Since then, the Fund has given instruments to youth from Cornerstone Youth Center and Big Brothers Big Sisters. In addition to the instruments, the Rock On! Program includes three months of lessons from a professional musician.
Music Rooms
In March of 2018, the Memorial Fund provided a fully-equipped music room at the TROY Center. The room has everything needed for a full musical experience. The finishing touch was the three blue birds painted on the wall along with the phrase, “everything little thing is gonna be alright”. In March of 2019, the Memorial Fund approved a request from the Children’s Autism Center for instruments and equipment for a music room. The proposal was presented by Nick Forte, a client at the Center. Nick completed his bachelor’s degree in music engineering at Saint Francis University in 2019.
Stoney's Mobile Garage Band
The inspiration for Stoney’s Mobile Garage Band came from a trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. The Garage Band Room there is open to anyone willing to walk up, plugin, and start rocking. So, we did just that…and we had a blast. Stoney’s Mobile Garage Band is fully equipped with guitars, drums, keyboards, amps, and microphones. In addition to the band setup, we will have three stand-alone stations for those who want to play but are not ready to share their talents with the world just yet. We envision the Mobile Garage Band making appearances at a variety of venues around the community.
Aaron's Essentials
In 2018, we began distributing backpacks to teens undergoing inpatient treatment at Lutheran Hospital. Each backpack contains the items considered by Aaron as essential to a tolerable stay in the hospital (a blanket, socks, earbuds, etc.). In April of 2020, we added another item to the backpack: a ukulele. We think it is only fitting that music be considered as one of Aaron’s essentials. Here are the items in Aaron’s essentials: water bottle, blanket, Tim Horton’s gift card, earbuds, Uno cards, crazy socks, and ukulele.
StoneyFest
Sometimes, it’s just about having some fun, some laughs, and enjoying lot of good live music. Our annual StoneyFest is part celebration, part family festival, and part fundraiser. We hope to see you there!
(Pictured at left is the TROY School student band, following their performance at the 2019 StoneyFest).
Other related one-time events
Kick off Event
It was fitting that we launched the Aaron M. Stone Memorial Fund in September of 2017, given that September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. We launched the Fund with a backyard event that featured live music, great food, and our first gift from the Fund, which was a check in the amount of $5,000 to the Little Wish Foundation. In addition to kicking off the Fund’s activities, it was our first opportunity to express our gratitude to those family members and friends who had been and who continue to be such an important part of our lives. Little did we know at the time, but this backyard event would evolve into StoneyFest, our signature event.
We would like to thank those who have supported us in our work
The Aaron M. Stone Memorial Fund is brought to you by A,B,C,D friends. Special thanks to the wonderful people and organizations who have help us along the way: Studio 13, Abigail Edmonds, Chuck and Lisa Surack, as well as all of our sponsors. The Aaron M. Stone Memorial Fund is designated by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Thank you and rock on Aaron!
