By Hector Flores
³We grew up in East Meadow,² said Allison, 31, who now lives in Long Beach. ³Melissa attended McKey Elementary, Woodland Middle School and East Meadow High School. She was a big player in the East Meadow Soccer Club, and was the person that tied everyone together. She was a free spirit and my best friend.²
On Oct. 21, 2000, Melissa was involved in a single-car accident in Florida. She and three other people were in a Jeep when the driver lost control. After the crash, Melissa managed to get to her feet and was taken to a hospital, but she died of internal injuries. Authorities in Florida never checked the driver to see if he was under the influence. As a result, he was never charged with Melissa¹s death.
Now, family and friends have banded together to form a foundation in Melissa¹s name. ³Melissa¹s Rainbow of Joy² seeks to raise awareness of the dangers of drunk driving ‹ and to celebrate a life that was cut short.
³We used her first and middle name, Joy, because that was her name, and all her friends said that she brought joy into their lives and anyone she made a connection with,² Allison recalled. She said that Melissa was only 20 when she died, but as a testament to the many lives she had touched, more than 500 people attended her funeral in Florida.
Melissa¹s scholarship
Allison explained that before the foundation was formed this year, family members and friends had a established a scholarship at East Meadow High School in Melissa¹s name. ³Each year, we go there and hand out the scholarship to a female soccer player who resembles my sister¹s best qualities,² loyalty, selflessness and commitment, Allison said. ³The award isn¹t given to the MVP player, but to the person who gave it their all so everyone could succeed.²
Allison¹s brother Joshua, 31, a girls¹ soccer coach at East Meadow High School, said that he gets to see which player receives the scholarship, but most important, he sees firsthand why his sister loved the sport. ³She loved the game,² he said. ³You may fall but you always get up, and that was what Melissa enjoyed about the game. When you play it, you reach a level of joy, and that¹s how she looked at it: ŒNo matter what comes at me, I¹m going to keep playing.¹²
Birth of a foundation
Since the scholarship¹s inception in May of 2001, six players have been honored. With the scholarship a success, Allison decided to form a foundation so that more could be done in her sister¹s name. ³Before the foundation was established, we raised the money for the scholarship ourselves,² Allison explained. ³In 2003, I had an additional fund-raising event and raised another $3,000, which went to the scholarship fund and to start the foundation.²
In addition to her own fund-raising efforts, last year Allison and her mother, Diane, attended a benefit and received a donation of $2,500 from the Jodie Torigian Charity Fund for Melissa¹s scholarship. ³When we received the donation it was a very hard day for us, because we had to relive her loss,² Allison said. ³But at the same time it¹s a healing process.²
Now, with the Melissa¹s Rainbow of Joy foundation making its debut next month, Allison hopes to reach out and make donations to families who have lost loved one so that they too can start their own foundations. ³There are so many things I want do with this,² she said. ³Aside from raising money for our scholarship, we can give donations to MADD or SADD or to anyone in need.²
So far, the foundation¹s board members consist of Melissa¹s family members and friends. ³Melissa was one of those people that you could count on for anything,² said Jessica Farina, a close friend and an East Meadow High School classmate of Melissa¹s. ³This foundation is allowing Melissa¹s legacy to live on while raising awareness about the real-life consequences of drinking and driving.²
Nicole Smith, one Melissa¹s best friends, added, ³This foundation has brought her family and friends together to pursue something positive in her name while remembering what a great person she was. I know she would be proud.²
Melissa¹s Rainbow of Joy will host its first annual brunch to raise awareness of the effects of drunk driving and underage drinking on Sunday, Nov. 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the De Seversky Center at the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury. The event¹s guest speaker will be Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, and it will include a full brunch, a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle. Tickets are $55 in advance and $65 at the door. For more information, call Allison Siegel at (516) 632-8440 or e-mail info@melissasrainbowofjoy.org.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
