Stacy Horst - Erin's Hope for Friends

12/28/23

Darren and Stacy Horst's 17-year-old daughter Erin was a gentle and talented girl who faced many challenges, primarily what is formerly known as Asperger's Syndrome. The couple lost Erin too soon, but they aspire to allow her compassionate spirit to live on through charity. The Horst family founded Erin's Hope for Friends in loving memory of Erin to help teens struggling with autism make meaningful and lasting social connections.

Founded in 2014 in metro Atlanta, Erin's Hope for Friends welcomes members to connect at E's Club locations. These spaces provide opportunities for conversation, games, creativity, and friendships. Programming appeals to the interests of members, increases social interactions and supports neuro-diverse relationships.

Takeaways:

1. Human Life - it's time we start getting back to having a basic respect for it. Sounds simple and like something we don't need to discuss. But we've all seen it - violence and basic disrespect all over the place. Whether it's on the news, social media, in how we talk, how we treat each other, how we treat people in authority...the list goes on far too long. We simply never know how we treat somebody else is going to affect them - why not start from a place of respect...seems simple doesn't it?

2. Stacy and Darren were punched about as hard as you can be punched by life. And they relied on a life-sustaining, strengthening priority in their life - for them, it was their faith - and it served as the launching pad for their positive moves very shortly after enduring the loss of Erin. We simply never know when life will punch us and how...what priorities are we keeping and LIVING on a regular basis, so our INTERNAL FOUNDATIONS will be strong enough to not only take the hit, but to keep moving forward afterward.

3. There is ALWAYS a positive choice in terms of responding to even the toughest of challenges. For Stacy and Darren, it came quickly. For some, it may take longer. You just have to breathe, dig deep, and let it come to you.

Links:

For more about Erin's Hope for Friends, please visit the link below and help if you can!

https://www.erinshopeforfriends.org