Making Maya's Rainbow Come to Life
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When Maya Rachel Cohen, a spunky, vivacious 5-year-old who loved the Islanders, died suddenly of a rare and hidden heart condition on December 13th, her parents knew just what the legacy of her young life would be.
Maya loved rainbows. From the time she could hold a crayon, there were rainbows everywhere: drawings, birthday cards, coloring-book animals, you name it. If Maya had been near a surface with art supplies, rainbows were the result.
“Every single thing she did had a rainbow on it,” her father, Seth Cohen, says. “It was just who she was.”
So Seth and Lauren Cohen aim to bring “Maya’s Rainbow” to life. Their mission is to create creative and arts-and-crafts opportunities for children at the JCC Metrowest in West Orange, N.J., where Maya attended preschool and kindergarten after-care and was a vital part of the community.
“She started there at 2,” Seth says. “She went to the JCC camp over the summer. She was part of the JCC community for 12 months a year. Her best friends are from the JCC.”
It’s also where Maya’s love of drawing and sculpture was nourished and encouraged. “She painted Monet, Van Gogh, Warhol,” he says. “She did these amazing projects and she loved it. She took such pride in them and couldn’t wait to show us what she made. I really feel like the JCC is where Maya became Maya, so that’s the place that we want this memorial to live.”
Maya’s other big passion was the family’s as well: cheering her beloved Islanders. Her parents, both Long Island natives, have a partial season-ticket plan, and the family has enjoyed games at the team’s new home in Brooklyn.
For Maya, of course, this love translated to color. She bought a pencil for her brother because it was blue and orange, Islanders colors. For crazy hair day at camp, her hair was sprayed blue and orange. The last manicure she got with her mom? Blue and orange nails. Her self-portrait in kindergarten showed her wearing her Islanders jersey, the one with “Maya” and number 1 on the back.
She loved watching games at home and attending with her parents and older brother, Alex, and she danced with abandon during intermission. At any given time, Maya would randomly break out into a “Yes, yes, yes!” chant. She met Sparky at her father’s 40th birthday celebration and was in awe.
It was a shared interest that her family fully appreciated. “When your son takes it on, it’s kind of the expectation,” Seth says, “but when your daughter adopts it too, it just really has a little bit of extra special.”
The Cohens hope the hockey world can help them make Maya’s Rainbow a reality. All funds, minus the fees collected by GoFundMe, will go directly toward creating this project at JCC Metrowest.
To create a lasting tribute to their daughter’s love of art would be a small testament to the potential Maya had, her father said.
“She was a great kid who deserved to grow up.”
Maya loved rainbows. From the time she could hold a crayon, there were rainbows everywhere: drawings, birthday cards, coloring-book animals, you name it. If Maya had been near a surface with art supplies, rainbows were the result.
“Every single thing she did had a rainbow on it,” her father, Seth Cohen, says. “It was just who she was.”
So Seth and Lauren Cohen aim to bring “Maya’s Rainbow” to life. Their mission is to create creative and arts-and-crafts opportunities for children at the JCC Metrowest in West Orange, N.J., where Maya attended preschool and kindergarten after-care and was a vital part of the community.
“She started there at 2,” Seth says. “She went to the JCC camp over the summer. She was part of the JCC community for 12 months a year. Her best friends are from the JCC.”
It’s also where Maya’s love of drawing and sculpture was nourished and encouraged. “She painted Monet, Van Gogh, Warhol,” he says. “She did these amazing projects and she loved it. She took such pride in them and couldn’t wait to show us what she made. I really feel like the JCC is where Maya became Maya, so that’s the place that we want this memorial to live.”
Maya’s other big passion was the family’s as well: cheering her beloved Islanders. Her parents, both Long Island natives, have a partial season-ticket plan, and the family has enjoyed games at the team’s new home in Brooklyn.
For Maya, of course, this love translated to color. She bought a pencil for her brother because it was blue and orange, Islanders colors. For crazy hair day at camp, her hair was sprayed blue and orange. The last manicure she got with her mom? Blue and orange nails. Her self-portrait in kindergarten showed her wearing her Islanders jersey, the one with “Maya” and number 1 on the back.
She loved watching games at home and attending with her parents and older brother, Alex, and she danced with abandon during intermission. At any given time, Maya would randomly break out into a “Yes, yes, yes!” chant. She met Sparky at her father’s 40th birthday celebration and was in awe.
It was a shared interest that her family fully appreciated. “When your son takes it on, it’s kind of the expectation,” Seth says, “but when your daughter adopts it too, it just really has a little bit of extra special.”
The Cohens hope the hockey world can help them make Maya’s Rainbow a reality. All funds, minus the fees collected by GoFundMe, will go directly toward creating this project at JCC Metrowest.
To create a lasting tribute to their daughter’s love of art would be a small testament to the potential Maya had, her father said.
“She was a great kid who deserved to grow up.”
Organizer
Seth Cohen
Organizer
Livingston, NJ