A dreaming humanitarian’s lasting legacy
At the age of 10, many elementary school girls are dreaming of finding fame and fortune as singers or Hollywood stars. But not Avery Kohl of Brigham City; her dream was quite different.
Like most girls her age, Avery loved junk food and unicorns. She burst with playful energy full of life and laughter toward anything involving creativity or adventure.
Her imagination was larger than life and consequently expressed through a wide range of mediums. Often these creations — which ranged from humanized balloons to sock stuffed animals to painted sunglasses — were produced using loose, casual materials such as unused household items or fallen foliage she found and collected. The majority of her time was spent in the company of friends and family who shared with her a passion for dance and visionary expression.
On the surface, she appeared as an ordinary girl from Brigham City, Utah.
What set her apart was her kindhearted nature that outweighed that of someone so short in years. Selflessly caring for others was always a part of who she was. Growing up, her mother, Jennifer Kohl, worked to instill a habit of service and compassion in her daughter. Avery independently took these lessons to a much higher level of dedication.
Jason Kohl, Avery’s father, explained this dedication through the words of author Mandy Hale: “To make a difference in someone’s life, you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect. You just have to care.”
Avery effortlessly exemplified this in how she interacted with everyone with nothing but deep love.
“She was sensitive, too, you know,” said Jennifer Kohl.
Avery had a keen eye for those who were excluded from group settings and understood what she should look for in a crowd so she could reach out to others when situations arose.
Throughout the years, she reached out to a number of men and women at church and in the community who were more than three times her age, sending them notes or drawings when she noticed them looking out of sorts.
Within her friend group, she often assumed the persona of the caregiver, this being evident in her frequent casting as the mother while playing house. Avery was also a natural leader who worked to create unity among her peers. As a third grader, she willingly stepped in to protect a first grader from his fifth-grade bullies.
“She was not afraid to stand up for what she believed in and what she thought was right,” said Malissa Hickman, the mother of one of Avery’s closest friends.
It was while Avery was in the fourth grade that her mother realized the full extent of her compassion when, independent of outside pressure, she organized and executed a party with her friends for the children in their school with special needs. With the approval of a few teachers and minimal parental assistance, they set up decorative lights, brought cookies and juice and sacrificed time recess time to be with their special needs peers.
“No one told us to do it,” said Hallie, one of Avery’s friends. “We just thought they should be included.”
Avery was also given an assignment while in fourth grade to research a career she wished to pursue when she grew up. The career of a humanitarian was chosen without hesitation. Her project discussed her desire to help the world in any way that she could: to create a world where people did not go starving, where everyone had food to eat and a warm place to live.
Avery’s teacher, Mrs. Yates, and her mother explained that it isn’t necessary that one be an adult to be a humanitarian. They encouraged her to pursue her passion for service, even though she was only in fourth grade and didn’t have much money. With this, her outreach soared as she began looking to the world with new, humanitarian eyes.
There was not a doubt in anyone’s mind whether she would achieve her ambitious dream.
It was shortly after this, however, that tragedy struck.
On May 26, 2018, Avery was involved in an off-road motorized vehicle accident that instantly resulted in her death at the age of 10 while attending her yearly family reunion.
The community responded almost immediately to support the grieving Kohl family by creating a GoFundMe fundraiser. As several days passed and more and more money was donated, Avery’s older sisters looked back on her life of love and service and decided they should use the funds raised to honor Avery’s desire to help others.
“Her example and her desire made us want to do more,” her mother explained. “[She helped us] recognize that we all have something to give whether it’s just a smile or time.”
Unsure of how to begin their noble cause, the family turned to CharitySmith, an organization that assists in starting nonprofit institutions. Just several months after the accident, Avery’s Dream Foundation was created.
Avery’s Dream Foundation is centered in Avery’s wishes to make the world a better place by helping people. There is a strong sense of intimacy linked with the foundation because many of the people who run it are Avery’s family and friends. Avery’s memory is at the forefront of the cause, keeping her vision very much alive.
Over the past year since they were founded, they have raised approximately $20,000 through donations and sales during the annual Peach Days festival in Brigham City. With this, they have donated six “Buddy Benches” to elementary schools in the Brigham City and Perry areas. These benches are placed in playgrounds for students who feel left out and encourages others to befriend them.
At the end of 2018, the foundation hosted a day of service. From that day alone, they donated 100 pounds of food to the Brigham City Food Pantry, 100 comfort bags to the New Hope Crisis Center, eight boxes of clothing and toiletries to the Family Support Center, 40 fleece blankets to Project Linus and 100 Christmas ornaments to the Brigham City Senior Center.
During spring of this year, they held a refugee drive and donated $200 and a truckload of toiletry and hygiene items to the Utah Refugee Coalition. Shortly afterward, they held a car wash that raised $1,400 for the Rally for Rory cause.
Moving forward, they hope to expand their organization in order to make an even greater impact, just as Avery would have done. Although they have no set plans on what that will look like yet, they are optimistic for the future.
For more information on Avery, the organization, how to donate or how to get involved, visit their Facebook page or view their CharitySmith bio.