Love Like Ashley

08/09/2026

💖💜

08/06/2026

This statement is so deeply true. Everyone wants to do something right away, but grief often intensifies weeks and months after the funeral, when everyone has gone back to their normal routines.

Send a text, drop a note in their mailbox- anything to let them know you're there and are thinking of them. You may not get a response, but know that such gestures are so appreciated.

08/06/2026

🩵The Ring Theory of Grief🩵

🩶The Center Ring: Holds the person most directly affected by the loss or trauma.

🩶The Inner Rings: Hold those next closest to the situation, such as spouses, children, or parents.

🩶The Outer Rings: Hold progressively more distant relations, including casual friends, colleagues, and acquaintances.

🩶Support moves inward: Anyone can offer comfort, help, or a listening ear to someone in a ring closer to the center than their own.

🩶Complaints move outward: If you need to vent, panic, or complain about how the crisis affects you, you must direct those feelings only to people in rings further out than yours.

🩶The center has absolute freedom: The person in the very center can say anything they want to anyone in any outer ring without filtering their emotions. Never burden them with your own secondary grief.

07/26/2026

13 years ago today… 😍

07/05/2026

🌟 Nine 🌟

From the moment you came into our lives, you have been one of our greatest blessings. We truly believe you are a gift from heaven.💖💜

To know you is to love you! Your kind heart, joyful spirit, funny personality, creativity, and endless imagination make every day brighter. You have a way of making people smile just by being yourself, and we couldn’t be prouder of the incredible person you’re becoming.

We thank God every single day for the privilege of being your parents. Watching you grow has been one of our greatest joys, and we can’t wait to see all the wonderful things this next year brings!

Happy 9th Birthday, LuLu! Never forget how deeply you are loved, how incredibly special you are, and what an amazing gift you are to our family. We love you more than words could ever express. ❤️🎂🎉

06/27/2026

🩷💜

The deeply moving story of Utah school bus driver Tracy Dean and eleven-year-old Isabella Pieri serves as a beautiful reminder of how local everyday heroes can completely transform a child's life. After Isabella tragically lost her mother to a rare brain illness, her father, Philip Pieri, stepped up to raise her alone, but heavily struggled with morning grooming routines due to his early work schedule at a local convenience store. For a while, he resorted to giving Isabella a short crew cut simply because managing and detangling her long hair was too difficult. Once her hair eventually grew back out, Isabella struggled to manage it herself, usually tying it back into a messy ponytail. Observing another student getting their hair adjusted on the bus one morning, Isabella built up the courage to ask Dean for help, sparking a beautiful daily routine.

Every single morning when the Alpine School District bus arrived at Greenwood Elementary, Dean would park, pull out a brush, and skillfully craft beautiful French braids for Isabella.

For Dean, a resilient breast cancer survivor, the gesture was deeply personal; during her own health battles years prior, she had constantly worried about who would do her own daughters' hair if she passed away.

This simple act of maternal care drastically improved Isabella's emotional well-being, with her teacher, Mrs. Freeze, noting that the young girl began walking down the school hallways with her head held noticeably higher.

By stepping past her baseline transportation duties, Dean provided a grieving child with vital emotional stability, proving that consistent, small gestures of love can act as a crucial lifeline for families navigating profound loss.

06/13/2026

💜🩷

06/04/2026

✨PHS Scholarship Recipient✨

Last night we had the pleasure of awarding the 2026 PHS Love Like Ashley Scholarship.

This year's recipient is a young woman who embodies what it means to "Love Like Ashley" through her dedication to serving others. In her essay, she shared how her involvement in the Parsippany Cube Club evolved into an opportunity to mentor younger students, build community connections, and support fundraising efforts that benefited families in need. She recognized that making a difference doesn't always require a grand gesture—it often comes from using your talents to help others and bring people together.

Her leadership, compassion, and commitment to community service reflect the spirit of Ashley's legacy.

In the fall, she will attend Drexel University and major in Finance.
We are honored to present a $1,000 scholarship to Barkha Patel.

Congratulations, Barkha! Thank you for helping to make the world a little brighter for those around you.

06/03/2026

✨PHHS Scholarship Recipient✨

Monday night we had the pleasure of awarding the 2026 PHHS Love Like Ashley Scholarship.

This year's recipient is a young woman who embodies what it means to "Love Like Ashley". In her essay, she shared how her family's experience navigating her father's disability taught her the importance of empathy, compassion, and supporting others through life's challenges. Rather than allowing difficult circumstances to define her, she chose to use those experiences to become a source of kindness and encouragement for others.

Her commitment to helping people, whether through small acts of kindness or her future goal of becoming a teacher, reflects the spirit of Ashley's legacy.

In the fall, she will attend Penn State University, where she will major in Education. We are proud to present a $1,000 Scholarship to Madeline Harmon.

Congratulations, Madeline! Thank you for helping to keep Ashley's light shining in the world.