The school lunch fund has provided thousands of meals.
Ellie’s Red Dress Fund has helped dozens of families with programs, transportation, adaptive equipment, and emergency costs.
But if you ask Caleb whether he started any of it, he gets embarrassed.
“I just bought a dress,” he always says.
That is technically true.
A few months ago, I finally asked him something I had wondered about for years.
“Do you remember opening Walter’s lunchbox?”
“Yes.”
“You looked terrified.”
“There was twenty-four thousand dollars in it, Mom.”
“Twenty-four thousand eight hundred.”
“That makes it less scary?”
I laughed.
“No.”
Then I asked, “Do you remember what you said when Grandma told you Sophie wouldn’t understand birthdays?”
He shrugged.
“Not really.”
I reminded him.
“She knows when someone’s kind to her.”
He was quiet for a second.
Then he said something very Caleb.
“Well… duh.”
And walked away.
I stood there laughing.
