SIDNEY, Mich. (WOOD) — It has been almost a year since a night of trick or treating turned tragic for a Montcalm County family, but through their immeasurable pain, you will find a mission supported by the entire community.
Brady Sexton passed away in a Halloween-night accident last year.
“This community really came together for us in a time of need,” Denny Sexton, Brady’s father, told News 8 Tuesday. “There would be cards and flowers and just random things delivered. It must have been in the middle of the night or early in the morning, at our doorstep.”
The family experienced support in a multitude of ways, including financially. That outpouring has since translated to the Brady Sexton Endowment through the Central Montcalm Community Foundation.
A $10,000 deposit established the fund last December. As of Tuesday, it sits at nearly $33,000 because of continual donations to the 8-year-old’s legacy.
“Brady was an athlete and he enjoyed sports and competing and everything, so we thought instantly, ‘What about these kids that maybe can’t afford it? Or it’s hard for them to afford it?’ We’d put something together so they can, no matter what sport it is,” Sexton explained.
The foundation expects to begin accepting applications next fall.
All the money will go towards youth sports expenses in the area: equipment, fees, anything that helps a kid join a team.
“This has been our fastest-growing fund by far all year,” Bill Simpson Jr., a foundation board member, told News 8. “While we live in a very small, rural community, we live in a community with big hearts and generous people and people that really felt this tragedy and came together.”
Simpson also performed Brady’s funeral services in Sheridan. He said it was the largest attendance he has ever seen for a visitation and funeral.
The funeral home helped the Sextons host the first big fundraiser to benefit the endowment over Memorial Day weekend. A picture Simpson captured, shown below, is a pretty good indication Brady supports the fund just as much as his community.
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