Keri for Kids

Keri for Kids Keri for Kids is a family run charity that raises money to help children that are neglected, abused, poor or homeless.

Keri for Kids is a fundraising organization that was established in memory of
Keri Lynne Sherlock by her family and friends. The money we raise at our annual memorial walk is donated to various organizations that benefit homeless children and children who are victims of neglect or abuse. Keri was a very special young woman from Braintree, MA who was taken from us at the age of 20. It was her love

of children that inspired us to pay tribute to her vibrant spirit and gentle soul through
Keri for Kids.

So, here we are, on the 25th anniversary of when we lost Keri Lynne. It was the darkest of days. But something amazing h...
10/04/2023

So, here we are, on the 25th anniversary of when we lost Keri Lynne. It was the darkest of days. But something amazing happened over the last 24 years- the most generous, wonderful, unbelievable outpouring of love and support for Keri for Kids. So we are choosing to focus on that. To focus on the good we have done in those years, and how much Keri is looking down on us with pride and love. She is in all of our hearts, today and forever.

We were so happy to welcome everyone to the last walk, whether they were in person or in our thoughts . We still don’t know how to feel about it. On one hand, we have created this amazing Keri for Kids family that has come together year after year and thanks to you all we have donated $350,000 in Keri’s name! Those donations have gone to help kids who have been abused, who are homeless, who live in poverty, sometimes all of the above. On the other hand, we are sad to see it end. But knowing what we’ve accomplished in Keri’s name over the years it’s a happy sad, if that makes sense.

When we started this on October 14, 1999 we didn’t know what to expect. We needed an outlet for our grief, and we wanted to pay tribute to Keri for many reasons. We thought it might be a one and done. We started with a few sponsors, sent out a few letters, brought a couple of folding tables, and what we got was the most amazing outpouring of support that we never would have expected over the last 24 years.

We have had a few good ideas since 1999- we added the luncheon, the raffles, etc. Our friends and family members that never even knew Keri have come year after year and became a part of this. Family by blood, marriage, or by choice. Family like Paul, Mark, Dave, Auntie Gayle, her many nephews and nieces both by blood and honorary, among many, many others. I’d be here all day if I listed them all. But they are all important. Sadly Keri missed out on knowing them and they her. But I know they feel like they know her, and she is in their hearts because of her legacy.

But, after 25 years, it’s time. We had a good run. In fact, we had a great run. We are beyond fortunate that you’ve stuck with us through this 25 year journey. You’ve been up to the mountain and back with us. We honestly didn’t know if we could get up that mountain. At least not right away. It was a struggle, but we did it. We never would have been able to get up and down it though if not for you. But here we are, and thanks to you what has happened is this, today and every year for the last 24 years, this incredible gathering filled with love and support.

It’s hard to pack 24 years into a speech, let alone how to covey how appreciative we are that you’ve helped us to make it to year 25. Lord knows I don’t know how to make it short, but hopefully I’ve figured out how to make it heartfelt. This is the most important year to convey our feelings. There have been a lot of them over 24 years- sorrow, grief, gratitude, astonishment, sentiment, and appreciation of our friends and family. Predominidently though, when we gather together and celebrate Keri in this way, we have felt comfort, peace, a little sadness, but most of all what we have felt is the love of family and friends that share our goal. Our goal was to make sure Keri is memorialized as a kind soul. There are so many other ways to describe her but if you had to sum it up in 2 words that would be it. Yes she was funny, smart, generous, sweet, adorable, humorous, loyal, dedicated, etc etc. But I think, if you had to describe her in 2 words, kind soul would be it.

Everyone’s life can go on a different track. We all take the train we want to, given where our life is going at the time. We didn’t know 24 years ago where we wanted to go, what we were looking for. We were at the station, lost, not knowing where we were going. Honestly we weren’t even sure where we had been. But eventually we got on the train and got off at the right stop, and we arrived right where we needed to be. We got here, thanks to you all. And this is our last stop. We can’t thank you enough for taking the ride with us. We could not be more grateful.

And what we’ve learned over the years is this-
Through tragedy comes triumph.
Through sadness comes positivity.
Through despair comes hope.
Through anger comes peace.

It’s not always immediate. It often takes time, patience, and the love of the ones we hold close.

You can’t always get there, at least not right away. But I believe we did, thanks to the support of our loved ones here and up above.
But we have been very, very lucky, for what has happened right here. Now we are here with 25 years of love, support, friendship, and a deep sense of dedication. But most of all it’s the commitment we made in 1999, even if we didn’t know we were making it then. It was to commemorate an amazing young woman, to make sure she would always, and I mean always, be a part of our hearts and remind us every day to strive to be the best person we can possibly be. Keri did that for herself, every minute of her all too short life. I don’t even know if she knew she was doing it, it was just in her nature.

So thank you, from the very bottom of our hearts, for helping us to memorialize our Keri Lynne in this most amazing way. Keep on dancing and laughing up there Keri. You will forever be our inspiration.

We truly thank and love you all,
The Sherlocks

It was an amazing day today for the 25th Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk. We couldn't be more grateful for everyone that sup...
10/01/2023

It was an amazing day today for the 25th Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk. We couldn't be more grateful for everyone that supported us, both in person and from afar. We have been beyond lucky to have had 25 years of love, friendship and dedication. Thank you so much for making our last year one that we will cherish forever. Feel free to share any of your pictures. Keep on laughing and dancing Keri Lynne. You will be forever in our hearts... 💕

Today's the day, the 25th Annual Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk! We're not letting the clouds dampen our spirits while we g...
09/30/2023

Today's the day, the 25th Annual Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk! We're not letting the clouds dampen our spirits while we gather together to celebrate the life of an amazing young woman. Hope you join us!

So, tomorrow's the day! The 25th Annual Keri for Kids Memorial Walk! I think Mother Nature is as conflicted as we are as...
09/30/2023

So, tomorrow's the day! The 25th Annual Keri for Kids Memorial Walk! I think Mother Nature is as conflicted as we are as far as it being our last year. We'll be at Pond Meadow Park in Weymouth tomorrow morning at 10:00 rain or shine. If it's too soggy for you please feel free to join us at the Moose Lodge in Braintree from noon on for food and raffles. If you can't join us please consider donating. Thank you!!

Two days to go before the 25th Annual Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk! We hope you can join us Saturday morning at 10:00 at ...
09/29/2023

Two days to go before the 25th Annual Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk! We hope you can join us Saturday morning at 10:00 at Pond Meadow Park. We are looking forward to paying tribute to an amazing young woman while raising money to help kids in need. Thank you all for your support!

Hard to believe the 25th Annual Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk is just 5 days away! Hope you can join us on Saturday, 10:00...
09/25/2023

Hard to believe the 25th Annual Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk is just 5 days away! Hope you can join us on Saturday, 10:00 a.m at Pond Meadow Park in Weymouth. If you can't make it please consider donating to this most worthy cause. Let's make our final year the best for Keri for Kids! 💕

So here we are, 1 week to go before the 25th and last Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk! We are so blessed for all the love, f...
09/24/2023

So here we are, 1 week to go before the 25th and last Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk! We are so blessed for all the love, friendship and support we have had over the last 24 years. We could not have done what we've done without our Keri for Kids family. Hope to see you on September 30th, at Pond Meadow Park in Weymouth, 10:00 AM. If you can't make it please consider donating. The money we raise goes to kids in need. Thank you!

The count is on- 10 more sleeps 💤 until the 25th Annual Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk- our final one! Hope to see you ther...
09/21/2023

The count is on- 10 more sleeps 💤 until the 25th Annual Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk- our final one! Hope to see you there! As we go to sleep tonight we will be remembering why we do this each year- to raise money for kids in need, in memory of an amazing young woman Keri Lynne. And we will also be grateful for those that have helped us for the last 24 years. If you can't join us on Saturday we hope that you would at least consider contributing to this most worthy cause. Thank you everyone!

We wanted to share an amazing tribute that happened 13 years ago today. It truly emphasizes why we started Keri for Kid...
09/17/2023

We wanted to share an amazing tribute that happened 13 years ago today. It truly emphasizes why we started Keri for Kids. We attended the Sixth Annual Program to Honor Homicide Victims at the Garden of Peace. Keri's memory, along with 34 other homicide victims, was honored with a river rock engraved with her name, date of birth, and the date she was taken from us. It was a beautiful and moving ceremony. It began with a beautiful song called "The Garden" written and performed by Mike Verge. We then heard many moving stories from some remarkable speakers. After an amazing performance by the Archdiocese of Boston Black Catholic Choir, the ceremony concluded with a solemn reading of each victim's name.

If you are ever in Boston and can visit the Garden we hope you do, because, it is truly an amazing sight. It is a dry river rock streambed that begins with a circular black granite stone called "Tragic Density" that symbolizes the enormous weight of sadness and grief. The streambed moves through the Garden and culminates with a trickle of water into a pool out of which rises "Ibis Ascending", a skyward sculpture representing hope. The Garden's mission is to memorialize Massachusetts homicide victims and to raise awareness of the cost of violence to our society. More information on the Garden can be found at www.gardenofpeacememorial.org.

We were honored to attend the ceremony. It was an emotional and at the same time lovely evening. Keri's name will be etched on her stone for eternity, much like our love for her is forever etched on our hearts.

In Love and Peace,

The Sherlock Family

The summer has gone by wayyyy too fast! Can't believe that Labor Day weekend is coming up. But what that also means is t...
08/29/2023

The summer has gone by wayyyy too fast! Can't believe that Labor Day weekend is coming up. But what that also means is the 25th Annual Keri for Kids Walk is coming up fast. 25 Years!! It's on September 30th at Pond Meadow Park in Weymouth at 10:00 AM. For those of you that don't know, this will be our last year. We are so proud of what we have done over the last 24 years. But it's time to take the win. We have helped so many kids in need over the last 2 plus decades. I think Keri is proud. She should be. And so should we. 25 years is a good run. A great run actually. So let's go out on top. Thank you so much for all of you that have supported us for all these years!!

24 years is a long time to miss someone... But here we are Keri. It's been 24 years since we heard you giggle and watc...
10/04/2022

24 years is a long time to miss someone... But here we are Keri. It's been 24 years since we heard you giggle and watched you dance. When you were here we don't think you knew just how much you impacted our lives. You were just who you were. You loved unconditionally and saw all the goodness that really does exist in the world. You will never know how much losing you has affected our lives in so many different ways. But we know you are with us every day. We know that you look down on us sending us love, laughter, and sunshine. God may have you in his hands, but we have you in our hearts.

Love,
The Sherlocks

It was a great day yesterday at the 24th Annual Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk! Thank you to all who supported us. It’s bee...
09/25/2022

It was a great day yesterday at the 24th Annual Keri Sherlock Memorial Walk! Thank you to all who supported us. It’s been quite a journey. We are truly blessed.

There is no way to express our gratitude for helping us reach our 24th year. To simply say thank you seems empty, and so trite. But it's true, we thank you for being here for us year after year. We are grateful for your devotion and dedication. And we immensely appreciate that we can pay tribute to Keri in this way, that we can remember her for the amazing young woman she was, that we can keep her on our minds and in our hearts, and commemorate and memorialize her in the way that she so very much deserves.

We have been here each year for going on 24 years. In that time we have raised over $335,000 for kids in need. Over a third of a million dollars! But if she were still here, Keri would have been doing what we've been doing. She’d be finding ways to thank people for joining together to help support the causes that she believed in, that she championed for. We have no doubt that Keri’s life would have been one of philanthropy. With her kind, caring, unbelievably generous nature, it would have been inevitable. But, she never got that chance. So for over 2 decades it has been our honor, our daunting responsibility, and the most bittersweet privilege to be her voice. We are hoping that we got it right. We believe that we did. I believe that she is looking down on us today with pride, dancing and giggling, filling our hearts with love and laughter.

There’s a saying- “The days are long, but the years are short”. In just about every aspect of life that has been true. Time passes so quickly, no matter how much you try to slow it down. But since October 3rd 1998, there have been years that have seemed eternal due to the pain and immense sadness of losing Keri. Years where the sun was blocked by black clouds of grief. Those clouds certainly darkened our days.

However, that’s the last thing she would have wanted, for us to let the clouds win over. She would want us to remember the days that were filled with sunshine. So many of those days she was, in fact, that sunshine. She brightened our days with her very presence. She would want us to remember that there is inherent goodness in people, which has been demonstrated every year through Keri for Kids. She would want us to be kind to each other, to laugh, to dance, to dream, to achieve our goals while forgiving ourselves if we fall along the way. She would want us to be grateful for what we have, to treat people with respect, to have the capacity to agree to disagree. Most of all, she would want us to love. To love each other and ourselves, not in spite of our imperfections, but because of them. That’s the way she lived her life, how she would still be living it if she were here. She was a dichotomy- she was a force to be reckoned with, while at the same time the gentlest and sweetest soul we will ever know. She was, simply, our Keri.

We hope that celebrating Keri for Kids’ 24th year means as much to you as it does to us. I’m sure it does. We may be small, but what we do matters. It matters a lot. It’s made a difference in so many kids’ lives. It’s made a difference in our lives. We’ve created a family. We’ve created a legacy. And no one, I mean no one, is more deserving of that legacy then Keri Lynne Sherlock. So, thank you one last time!

Love,
The Sherlock Family

Address

16 Marcia Road
Braintree, MA
02184

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