FOR ALUMNI
EVERYDAY LEADERS Boy’s Legacy Lives Through Family’s Foundation
“Every child needs a smile.” —Slogan for the Live Like Luke Foundation.
Luke Bresette
L
uke Bresette was the perfect middle child, says his father, Ryan Bresette, ’95. He was always smiling, even when he got into trouble.
Although Luke’s life was cut short at 10 years old, the Bresette family is passing along that smile to other children and, in so doing, ensuring Luke’s memory will live on. Following his tragic death in 2013 when a heavy flight information sign fell on him and other family members in the Birmingham, Alabama, airport, they created the Live Like Luke Foundation. Ryan Bresette says the foundation’s slogan is “Every child needs a smile” because when a child is smiling, they are confident and that brings success. One focus of Live Like Luke is enrichment activities. The foundation has sponsored baseball teams through the Boys and Girls Clubs’ RBI program, a football camp for underserved kids, and swim lessons through Operation Breakthrough. Over the past six years, they have reached more than 750 children.
Because the Bresette children wanted to help kids with terminal illnesses enjoy time with their family, Live Like Luke also partners with other organizations to sponsor wishes. In February, they played a part in sending a 21-year-old with a form of brain cancer to the Super Bowl with his father. When tragedy struck in Birmingham, Ryan says people from there to Kansas City reached out to help the family while his wife and son remained in the hospital. To honor their kindness, the third major focus of Live Like Luke is tragedy assistance. It may be financial assistance or emotional support, Ryan says. They have helped with funeral costs and allowed families to spend time together in a relaxing setting, just having fun. So, how did Luke Bresette live? “He lived life to the fullest each and every day,” says Ryan. “When he put his head on the pillow every night, he had no regrets. He worked hard and he played hard.”
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