Remembering Danielle Bessler
Danielle Bessler was 25 years old when she was tragically killed in a car accident while on vacation in Mexico.
Danielle's love for life was evident to anyone who knew her. She loved exploring, trying new things, camping, swimming, and climbing. She loved animals. She loved children. She loved reading and listening to music. She loved nature. She loved her friends and her family. She loved philosophy and conversation. She loved programming. She loved being independent.
She was truly one-of-a-kind.
In order to honor her memory and strengthen her legacy, her friends and family have decided to raise money for a few projects.
1) The Book Nook. For her love of books (and nooks!), we are going to dedicate a corner space in the Maimonides School (Brookline, MA) library, Danielle's high school, named "The Book Nook" - the Nook will be filled with Danielle's favorite books, and books that will give people a glimpse into the things she loved (ie - "Intro to Coding"). The space will be beautiful, comfortable - we want to add bean bags - and will hopefully inspire many.
2) Nature Memorial. For her love of nature, we want to dedicate a space in a park in her name. This could be a bench, a flower bed, etc. - we haven't decided yet. We are in touch with a few local authorities to decide the best course of action. We are hoping to do this at Walden Pond, one of Danielle's favorite spots.
3) Torah Scroll. In order to strengthen her legacy, we'd like to dedicate a Torah Scroll in Danielle's name. We are unsure whether we will raise enough money to buy a new Torah or whether we will just be able to have one written in her honor. Either way, this is essential. Learning Torah in Danielle's name is a way to ensure her Neshama has an Aliyah and that she is at peace in Olam Habah.
4) RememberingDanielleBessler.com - this will be a website that has everything Danielle. Pictures, videos, music, poems, essays, discussion, the Danielle Bessler Book Club, and much more. The amazing Rachel (Epstein) Klausner is helping us create this for FREE, but we will definitely need funds for maintaining the site and for potential extra help for Rachel.
5) An emergency vehicle in Israel. Danielle loved Israel, and was a big proponent of Magen David Adom - especially since her best friend Avi-hi was a part of it. We'd like to raise at least enough money for an emergency motorbike (approx. 10k), but would be ecstatic to raise enough for a full ambulance (approx. 75k).
6) General Fund. This money will be used for "everything else" - we've had people who want to run races in her name. We've had people who want to create books of Danielle's sketches/art. Danielle's family has expressed interest in raising money to pay for people to learn Torah in Danielle's Zchut - this money can be added to that as well.
Every single penny donated will go towards strengthening Danielle's legacy and honoring her memory.
If you feel comfortable donating money, but aren't sure where you want it to go, just write "General Fund" and we will use the money where we need it. If there are leftovers, it will go into the General Fund.
If you'd rather donate money for a specific cause, just write it when you donate (IE - "$180 - Book Nook") and your donation will ONLY be used for that project.
Of course, if there's anything specific you'd like to request, feel free to reach out to me directly with the email provided on the right side of the gofundme page.
If you want to keep up-to-date with our progress, you can join our Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RememberingDanielle/
Thanks to all who donate. If you can't donate at this time, please reach out to me and we can find something for you to do that doesn't cost money. Every little thing matters.
If you'd like to say a prayer for Danielle, her hebrew name is Penina Margolit Bat Miriam (or Dov).
PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK EVERYWHERE SO WE CAN RAISE AS MUCH MONEY AS POSSIBLE!