Franklin Elementary Honors Mr. Bianchi's Sister
On September 26th, the community room at Franklin Elementary was filled with students and family members raising awareness and doing something special for our community. It was organized by Gr. 1 teacher Alex Bianchi who called this day the “Kelley Bianchi Memorial Day of Service”. This day is a way to honor Mr. Bianchi’s sister, Kelley, who tragically lost her life two years ago on September 26th.
“I was here in the classroom when I got the phone call so this place [Franklin] is deeply tied to my memories of that day,” Bianchi said. “Last year I took the anniversary date off, but this year I wanted to do something a bit more meaningful.”
Mr. Bianchi invited his student’s families to come to school and help make cards and bookmarks which will be donated to the Family Justice Center here in Buffalo. These items will be primarily given to women & children who are fleeing abusive relationships and domestic violence.
“My sister (and whole family) suffered extensively with domestic violence in her household, which is what ultimately led to the causes she passed away from,” Bianchi said. “This was a good cause that's near and dear.”
More than 100 cards and bookmarks were made by Mr. Bianchi’s students, their families, and students from other classrooms. It was an afternoon of creativity that was followed by students in Mr. Bianchi’s class enjoying lunch with their families.
“Essentially my thought process was that my own mother would give anything to have lunch with her daughter one more time,” Bianchi said. “I wanted to get families together for something they don't regularly do and spend a little extra meaningful time together.”
The Bianchi family plans to keep Kelley’s legacy alive by involving students here in the Ken-Ton community. Alex will be holding his annual Day of Service with his future Gr. 1 classes, while the Kelley Bianchi Memorial scholarship will be awarded annually to a Kenmore East senior that embodies Kelley's character traits.