The story of the late Kendra Fendt, a Pace woman who died this month from complications of the flu and pneumonia just after giving birth to her daughter, caught the heart of a senior at Navarre High School, SGA President McKinney Ferland.
The student said she heard the story from the SGA sponsor, Jenna Hughes, who knows the family through her family and church. Ferland began following a Facebook page Fendt's father posted, updated daily on the woman's progress.
"When I read how sick she became and so fast, I remembered my mom being sick when she was pregnant with my last sister. It was scary. And when I read her father's posts about baby Meredith, I was so sad," says Ferland.
She says she was concerned about the family's finances when she thought about her husband being at the hospital in Alabama.
"I thought he's going to need help in paying the mortgage and with all of the new expenses," she says. She has created a power point presentation to present to the student body and named her SGA project, Memories for Meredith, plus a diaper and formula drive begins next week. These efforts will culminate Friday with a fundraising event involving the student body called 1000 in 1.
"In one minute every classroom will give whatever monies they can to raise $1,000," says Hughes. She explains someone over the intercom will say go and everyone will empty their pockets.
Hughes says she's very proud of Ferland as she has much responsibility as being the treasurer of the student body, but is still taking the initiative in helping this family.
Ferland says it's all for baby Meredith.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: NHS student leads school in helping Fendt family