COURAGE:
Letter from The Founder
Sarah Akiba
24
My name is Sarah Akiba, and I am the founder of Angel Watching Over Me, a foundation that supports those who have lost people they love by celebrating their stories. When I was about 7 years old, I used to tell my father, " One day, I want to build a big hotel with the most beautiful beds and sheets and couches just like the ones in our home for people who don ' t have those things." And though it may have sounded like a childish fantasy, it didn ' t seem crazy to him. Right there, he had me take a vow to follow through with my dream. He even had me sign a paper napkin to seal the deal. Three years ago, I lost my father, Charlie Akiba, to cancer. He was a truly exceptional man – a man who taught me that God, family, and kindness are a way of life. He is my angel. When I lost my dad, things changed. I’ d been working in fashion as a wardrobe stylist and designer for a few years, but I felt I had to do more. I started by creating the hashtag # angelwatchingoverme. It helped me tell my story. It wasn’ t long before people began to use # angelwatchingoverme to tell their stories through social media as well. It was awe-inspiring to discover how many people were persevering in the face of the same kinds of feelings of loss I was experiencing. After the incredible response to the hashtag, I realized that # angelwatchingoverme could be the start of something great. I designed a logo and a hat based on the concept. That night, I had a revelation that the idea of Angel Watching Over Me was bigger than just a hat. It needed to be for the greater good. I planned an event where I could sell the hats and donate all the proceeds to cancer research in my father’ s memory. I anticipated that about 60 people would show up. To my surprise, 300 people ended up coming out to support the cause, each purchasing a hat at the entrance. We raised around $ 2000 that night for the American Lung Association and the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Association. I was thrilled. It felt good to donate to cancer research, but I still felt I could do more. I wanted to personally ensure that the money I raised was being used to make the biggest impact possible for the people who needed it most. With that goal in mind, I created the Angel Watching Over Me Foundation on January 7th, 2016. Thus far, it has been an amazing experience. Over the past year, Angel Watching Over Me has hosted two Halloween parties at Joe Dimmagio Children’ s Hospital and Nicklaus Children’ s Hospital in South Florida, held a toy drive for underprivileged children with the Miami Rescue Mission, and have hosted free, bi-weekly support groups for people who have lost loved ones. I have attended every one of those meetings, and it has been beautiful to watch more and more people show up to share their stories and gain strength from those who have experienced loss too.
Recently, Leah Karimdadian joined Angel Watching Over Me as a partner, and together we dream of creating safe houses where we can continue to hold support groups while offering housing to people who need it. The " hotel " that my father made me vow to create is not such a farfetched dream anymore. Through Angel Watching Over Me, I have had the joy of turning the loss of my father into the triumph of working to make the world a better place. I hope to share that joy with others. We did not come into this world alone, so we cannot live alone either. We all have angels. And even though some are no longer with us, some are right here. Remember, not all angels have wings.
The AWOM Journal is an extension of our mission. We gathered several strong individuals from our community in South Florida to tell their stories and offer hope to people who are fighting battles of their own.
I’ d like to give a special thanks to everyone involved in Angel Watching Over Me:
To our interviewees, thank you for sharing your stories with us.
To my mother, Francine Akiba, for being my Angel on Earth and someone I look up to everyday.
To my brothers, who protect me, and their wives and children who I love dearly.
To all of my extended family for all of the support. To Marco Bartocci for picking me up the day I fell.
To Chris, my right-hand man, who has helped make this all possible.
To my photographer, Sean McCabe, for taking photos with feeling.
To Peter Eliason for putting this journal together with me and being very patient with my vision.
To Matthew Hershoff, our editor in chief, and my long-time friend.
To my friends for always supporting me.
To you for making a difference in the world. Everything we do is made possible through your support.
And finally, to my father, Charlie Akiba, for teaching me courage. Without that, I would not be who I am today.