03/04/2021
To Our Family and Friends,
First off, 2020 was a crazy year and we hope that you and all of your families are healthy and doing as well as can be expected in this time of COVID-19. We apologize for being so quiet as an organization, but we have been putting a lot of thought and reflection into the past 9 (almost 10) years.
As of March 5, 2021, the Alyssa Little Foundation will be transferring all ALF funds to the RISD Excellence in Education Foundation and they will manage and be responsible for reviewing and deciding who The Alyssa Little Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to in 2021 and going forward. The Alyssa Little Memorial Scholarship of $2000 will be given to one JJ Pearce graduating senior through 2035, which will be 23 years in which the scholarship will be awarded. We chose this timeframe as it represents to us the 23 years we had Alyssa with us. The Alyssa Little Foundation as an active 501©3 non-profit will be dissolved and we will no longer be hosting fundraising initiatives. The Alyssa Little Foundation (ALF) website will be removed and we will continue to have our page live with all of the original content from the ALF site. We want to express extreme and heartfelt gratitude to every single person who has touched this foundation. It is a bittersweet time for us all and we are overwhelmed with love for you all.
It’s hard to believe that our amazing, beautiful Alyssa has not been with us here on Earth for almost a decade. In that timeframe, the generosity and support of all of you have helped raise $112,100 in Alyssa’s honor. You all have been able to effect change in young adults’ lives through your generous donations benefitting Girls Inc. of Greater Dallas, Vogel Alcove, the Dallas Comedy House and the RISD Excellence in Education Foundation. Through the Alyssa Little Memorial Scholarship, we have assisted the following J.J. Pearce High School seniors pursue their dreams:
2011/2012: Julio Pineda
2012/2013: Maria Vasquez
2013/2014: Alyssa Digno
2014/2015: Mason King
2015/2016: Sayed Mehrdad Hosseini Teshnizi
2016/2017: Brittany Reese and Adam Bronson
2017/2018: Katherine Burnett and Oscar Avalos
2018/2019: Prachi Patel and Ivan Rueda
2019/2020: Mara Penaloza and Stephanie Tirado
2020/2021: TBD
Again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the contributions/donations, service and memories you have made for the Little, Johnson, and Neinast families in memory of Alyssa.
