It's been three years since the Crispinelli family's hearts were broken when their daughter Stephanie was killed in the deadly Haiti earthquake while she was on a humanitarian mission.
Stephanie Crispinelli, of Somers, was 19 and a sophomore at Lynn University. Her life was tragically cut short on Feb. 12, 2010.
This Valentine's Day for the second year in a row, her parents Lin and Lenny and the American Red Cross will partner to make comfort kits. The kits, which will be made along with first graders at Primrose Elementary School in Somers, include a cozy blanket, book, and Stephanie's signature care bear.
"We distribute these to children displaced during a disaster and it makes a huge difference," said Abigail Adams, Communications Officer for the American Red Cross.
Last year the Somers children made 100 comfort kits and this year the goal is to make 150.
In honor of Stephanie Crispinelli, her parents had set up the Stephanie Crispinelli Humanitarian Fund as a way to carry out causes she cared about, such as improving the lives of the impoverished.
"These are beautiful comfort kits created by children for children," Adams said. "The Red Cross brings these to fires and give out to children who may have just lost everything. These kits can make all the difference to a scared child. And knowing they are made by children makes them even more meaningful."
The American Red Cross have awarded Stephanie Crispinelli, a former Red Cross volunteer, with the Spirit of the Red Cross Award for her humanitarian and volunteer work.
"This activity carries her spirit forward and inspires us all to give back," Adams said. "As a volunteer organization what better way to teach at a young age the importance of helping others then a project like this."
To read more about Stephanie Crispinelli, click here and watch the YouTube video above.
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