GCU News Bureau
The family of Todd Heap, a former tight end for Arizona State University and for the Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, recently suffered an unimaginable tragedy: the loss of his daughter Holly in a driveway accident. The family honored her memory Wednesday with "Hugs from Holly Day" on what would have been Holly’s fourth birthday.
Todd’s brother John works for Grand Canyon University, and this is how his co-workers responded:
“John Heap is not only part of the team, he is family to many in our division of online enrollment. We wanted to show our support for his family, as they mourn the loss of a beautiful little girl. With just one day to spare, we heard about Hugs from Holly Day, and instantly knew we wanted to participate!
“The Heap family created Hugs from Holly Day as an opportunity to show kindness to one another and, of course, encourage the kind of hugs that Holly was so good at giving. Our team wore pink shirts and pink bows, set up a pink lemonade stand and gave out Hershey Hugs in honor of Holly. We passed out encouragement cards to our region and around the floor.
“To pay it forward, we wanted to give a little treat to the two ladies from our facilities staff for their hard work in taking care of us. Our team gave them each a bag of Hershey Hugs, a card and cash with a note saying, “Lunch is on us today.”
“Pictures were taken, complete with a Hugs from Holly Day banner, and sent to John. Finding joy through tragedy is what Hugs from Holly Day was all about.”
John Heap wrote, “Thanks for putting this together. Hugs from Holly Day was a success and brought so many people together. We had so much fun doing service and spreading kindness to others.”
Here are photos from the GCU event:
