The Betty Marie Cage Foundation
Donation protected
On behalf of Vaughn Thomas, Ephraim Thomas, Danielle (Thomas) Pettiford, and myself, Stephen (Thomas) Ampersand, I am pleased to present the following in honor of our late mother:
Four years ago, on June 15, 2016, our mother, Rosa “Betty” Marie Cage died. For years she suffered from the impact of extreme poverty, including rape, clinical depression, and homelessness, as well as diabetes, renal failure, and cancer, which eventually claimed her life. Despite all of this, our mother was our hero. Born the second of seven children to sharecroppers in the segregated south in Halifax County, Virginia, Betty went on to become the first person in her family to graduate from high school. Later, as a single mother of four, Betty overcame homelessness with her children and provided a stable home through our high school years, allowing us to pursue our respective dreams of college education and entrepreneurial enterprises.
In honor of her memory, my siblings and I will be dedicating a small cabin on her ancestral land in Virginia on what would have been her 72nd birthday, Friday, October 23, 2020. The cabin will be christened, “The Betty Marie Cage” and will be donated to The Betty Marie Cage Foundation for Homeless Parents with Dependent Children. Proceeds from the cabin’s rental will go to the foundation’s endowment, which will aid homeless parents and their children to help them get on their feet.
Thank you for considering a donation in Rosa “Betty“ Marie Cage’s honor to help us pay tribute to our hero and help homeless parents like her rise above their circumstances as she did through the establishment of her foundation.
With Gratitude,
Our family
Four years ago, on June 15, 2016, our mother, Rosa “Betty” Marie Cage died. For years she suffered from the impact of extreme poverty, including rape, clinical depression, and homelessness, as well as diabetes, renal failure, and cancer, which eventually claimed her life. Despite all of this, our mother was our hero. Born the second of seven children to sharecroppers in the segregated south in Halifax County, Virginia, Betty went on to become the first person in her family to graduate from high school. Later, as a single mother of four, Betty overcame homelessness with her children and provided a stable home through our high school years, allowing us to pursue our respective dreams of college education and entrepreneurial enterprises.
In honor of her memory, my siblings and I will be dedicating a small cabin on her ancestral land in Virginia on what would have been her 72nd birthday, Friday, October 23, 2020. The cabin will be christened, “The Betty Marie Cage” and will be donated to The Betty Marie Cage Foundation for Homeless Parents with Dependent Children. Proceeds from the cabin’s rental will go to the foundation’s endowment, which will aid homeless parents and their children to help them get on their feet.
Thank you for considering a donation in Rosa “Betty“ Marie Cage’s honor to help us pay tribute to our hero and help homeless parents like her rise above their circumstances as she did through the establishment of her foundation.
With Gratitude,
Our family
Organizer
Stephen Ampersand
Organizer
Hummelstown, PA