Exactly one year ago on Christmas eve, my family and I went for Christmas dinner at my friend Jenny’s house. When we arrived she had just received incredibly sad news about a horrendous  fire in the home of her friend Madonna Badger, which killed Madonna and Matthew Badger’s three daughters Lily, Sarah and Grace, in addition to Madonna’s parents who were visiting for Christmas. Vowing to do something constructive after this tragic fire Jennifer Levy came together with her friends Elizabeth Cutrona Goetchius, Jennifer Gross  and Lily, Sarah and Grace’s father Matthew Badger, and created a beautiful day of art, and community on a rainy day in Los Angeles to benefit Matthew’s foundation, the LilySarahGrace.

The mission of the LilySarahGrace fund , is “To challenge and empower teachers in underfunded elementary schools across the United States to teach their curriculum through the universal language of Art and Creativity.

I was so inspired by the energy and generosity of everyone who came together to raise money, make art and create beauty out of this terrible loss. As a mother, I can not imagine the horror and deep sorrow that Matthew and Madonna Badger have had to endure this past year after the loss of their girls. Still the creative energy and support of so many people who came together in the name of those three beautiful girls, so that other children will have the opportunity to make art and express themselves creatively takes my breath away.

If you’d like to donate to the LilySarahGrace fund, you may do so here.

Here are a few of my photographs from this beautiful day.

Jennifer Levy, Matthew Badger and Elizabeth Cutrona Goetchius

Karen Kimmel and her daughter Jersery had a beautiful booth of stencils for creating Japanese furoshiki to wrap gifts in.

My daughter Vivienne working on her toilet paper roll reindeer

Weelicious.com chef and cook book author Catherine McCord and her daughter Chloe volunteered to make yummy strawberry elves