TRELLA FOUNDATION
Raises More Than $ 12,000 for Scholarships , Charity
Two years after his passing , Michael Trella ’ s family continues to honor his memory by helping others .
“ THE PLAN WAS TO HELP OTHERS IN ANY REGARD AND PROVIDE SOME SCHOLARSHIPS IN MOON TOWNSHIP . WE GAVE OUT SOME SCHOLARSHIPS AND HELPED SOME PEOPLE IN NEED , BUT WE ’ VE ALSO BECOME MORE FOCUSED AND FIRMED UP OUR IDENTITY .”
While many people donned fancy hats and went out to watch Justify eventually win the 144th Kentucky Derby , nearly 250 people were in Imperial at the SNPJ Lodge raising money for I Love You More / The Michael Trella Foundation , which just left the starting gates itself .
Named for Michael Trella , who passed away unexpectedly in his sleep in October 2016 , at the age of 15 , the foundation ’ s goal is to “ show the kindness Michael expressed by raising money to support others in need .”
Mark Trella , Michael ’ s father , says the nascent foundation is off to a great start , and has been evolving in the past year and a half to solidify its mission .
“ The plan was to help others in any regard and provide some scholarships in Moon Township . We gave out some scholarships and helped some people in need , but we ’ ve also become more focused and firmed up our identity ,” he says .
The people the foundation focuses on helping are parents who lose children , like the Trellas , and don ’ t expect what comes next . “ When you lose a child , you don ’ t expect that . Even in the case of a sick child , you don ’ t make plans for a funeral ; you worry about your child getting better ,” Trella explains . “ No parent should ever worry about how much it ’ s going to cost them , or be limited financially in terms of the type of arrangements they need to grieve . If they want an interment in a mausoleum , they should have that option . They should be able to give their child the best . That ’ s one arm of the foundation . The other arm is focused on school and scholarships . We want to grow the foundation to not only fund the grieving parents , but bolster the scholarships .
We ’ d eventually like to reach out to local universities and set up scholarships in Michael ’ s name and grow it beyond this little world we ’ re in .”
He notes that Michael ’ s passing brought the family an outpouring of support from Moon residents as well as people from all over the region who had no connection at all .
“ Moon Township was huge as far as support , but we had people from South Fayette and Upper St . Clair reaching out to us too . People just reached out , and it was an amazing thing to see , just the people who came out to be there for us ,” Trella says . “ It doesn ’ t change that hole you have in your heart . Our lives will never be the same , but it helps you with managing things you ’ re not ready to manage . It allowed us to grieve without having to worry about ancillary things . To be functional . We ’ re still here , and now we ’ re trying to get back to the community , and to keep Michael ’ s memory alive by helping others . That ’ s the kind of kid he was .”
The Kentucky Derby event will continue to be the foundation ’ s main fundraising vehicle . The Trellas do other smaller fundraisers , like participate in the Amazon Smile program , which donates portions of sales to charities , but Trella says he wants to focus on one big event each year . And , if you didn ’ t make this year ’ s event , mark your 2019 calendar for a gala like no other . The event includes bidding on races throughout the day and culminates with the big Derby race . Participants enjoy mint juleps , a silent auction , live entertainment and more . If you want to donate to the foundation , or find out more , go to trella27 . com . ■
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