The squeaking of shuffling shoes overfills the gym of St. Brendan as the weekly Wednesday assembly commences. I sit down criss-cross applesauce while the student council makes their usual announcements. Towards the end of the assembly, they set up a big film projector and introduce a man and woman to the stage. Enthusiasm fills my stomach as the mystery woman grabs the microphone and says, “I am Mary Fagnano and this is my husband, Jay Fagnano.” After introducing themselves, they explain what the Thrive In Joy Nick Fagnano Foundation is and talk about their son, Nick Fagnano, who used to attend St. Brendan.
Every year of my St. Brendan career, Mr. and Mrs. Fagnano have presented their story and work to the St. Brendan community and each year I have listened to it. From kindergarten to my last year at St. Brendan, I have found new depth to their work and why they do it.That day my kindergarten eyes were opened to the nonprofit Thrive In Joy Nick Fagnano Foundation and the unique story behind it.
Just as the Thrive in Joy Nick Fagnano Foundation was shared with me all those years ago, I wanted to share it with the Mayfield Community.
Thrive In Joy’s story starts with Nick Fagnano. Nick Fagnano was Mary and Jay’s son who tragically lost his life due to a lightning strike on July 27, 2014. Nick was a graduate from St. Brendan school and was described as a kind hearted person who loved to help others. Nick loved baseball and when he was 13 years old he set up a baseball equipment drive for children in the Dominican Republic. When Nick passed away, Mary and Jay started the Thrive In Joy Nick Fagnano Foundation to keep his memory alive.
The foundation began with a trip. After Nick passed, one of Mrs. Fagnano’s work colleagues reached out to her because his organization had planned an upcoming trip to the Dominican Republic. They were going to install a computer lab in a local school. He asked if Mary and Jay would want to go on the trip to find a new purpose and to do something in Nick’s honor. While they were hesitant at first, the Fagano’s felt like this trip was Nick reaching out to them. They decided to go to the Dominican Republic to continue what Nick had started.
Before Mary and Jay took their first trip to the Dominican Republic, the St. Brendan Community decided to help raise money and set up a fundraiser called “Crazy Day” where students would pay one dollar to dress up in “crazy” attire. This idea generated around $2,500 which was then donated to the Fagnano’s to take with them on their trip.
The Fagnanos arrived in the Dominican Republic and on the first night they spent $1000 on sporting equipment for the kids at an orphanage in Santo Domingo. They also spent time installing a computer lab at a school in a poverty-stricken town in Santo Domingo called Herrera. While installing the computer lab, Mary and Jay witnessed the appalling state each classroom was in as it was filled with desks and chairs falling apart. They decided to use the remainder of the donated money from St. Brendan to conduct an extreme makeover of the 5th grade classroom. They bought new desks, chairs, cabinets, learning games, wall decals, and much more to completely transform the classroom. Despite the drastic transformation of this one school room, the Fagnanos knew that the work was not done and committed themselves to many more trips to the Dominican Republic to makeover the entire school. Through the help of many local communities, including St. Brendan and the University of Southern California–where their son Nick was set to attend– Mary and Jay were able to continue to travel to the Dominican Republic and transform the entire school into something the children could be proud to attend.
That first trip was the mere beginnings of the Thrive In Joy Foundation. The Fagnanos ended up going on twenty more trips since then and have grown their foundation to what it is today. Which is a significant non profit organization that has partnered with many programs to go back to the Dominican Republic and start the Thrive in Joy’s C11 strength of character program inspired by 11 of Nick’s character strengths. They started their foundation to honor Nick and carry on his legacy by helping other communities and those in need just as their son had done when he started his baseball equipment drive. Community is what the Thrive in Joy Foundation was built on and is evident throughout their work. The Fagano’s goal is to help other communities, whether it be kids in the Dominican Republic or students right here in Los Angeles.
From that moment as a kindergartner when I first heard about the Thrive In Joy Nick Fagnano Foundation and Nick to my recent conversation with the Fagnanos for this article, I am amazed at how they were able to build a legacy for their son and how much this legacy has become a part of my life through the years at St. Brendan. Though my path never crossed with Nick’s, his name and story have been a part of my life and I am proud of how my own St. Brendan community has helped and in the process made me a part of Nick’s legacy.
To learn more about Thrive in Joy visit www.thriveinjoy.org
