In 2013, the Nicole Marie Garrish Memorial Foundation was established in honor of our beloved Nicole. Over the past 5 years, the foundation has successfully funded 21 local scholarships in the Boca Raton, Tallahassee and Atlanta areas. Over these years the NMG Foundation has supported many organizations including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, The American Heart Association, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The American Cancer Society, The Ronald McDonald House, Debbie’s Dream Foundation, Triple Threat Breast Cancer Foundation, Florida State University Alumni Association and Delta Delta Delta Foundation among other local charities. Friends of the foundation have generously donated a memorial bench and garden arbor to Boca Raton’s Community Garden as well as a beautiful memorial bird bath and butterfly garden to the Tri Delta Sorority house, at Florida State University. Memorial bricks can be found in front of Westcott Fountain at Florida State University, Tri Delta’s Executive Offices in Arlington Texas and Boca Raton’s Community Garden.
Today, Nicole’s memory is carried out by numerous events held from Florida to New York City. The Nicole Garrish Memorial Lacrosse Classic was created in 2015 and hosted at Boca Raton High School, Nicole’s Alma Mater. Proceeds from this event help support one of Nicole’s Legacy Scholarships at Boca Raton High. The “Noles for Nicole” event was started by her sorority sisters and close friends living in NYC to honor Nicole’s love of football, Florida State University and TriDelta Sorority. This annual “Noles for Nicole” event is held one weekend in Tallahassee during football season. The weekend kicks off on Game Day Saturday with group seating Doak Campbell Stadium followed by a Sunday brunch. Proceeds of this event benefit multiple scholarships at TriDelta and the annual “TriDelta Best Sister Award” to honor Nicole. In the Spring, at the time of Nicole’s birthday and the anniversary of her passing, family and friends come together to celebrate her life. In South Florida, the annual “Cowboys and Angels” event brings friends and family together in honor of Nicole’s memory and her love of country music while family and friends in New York celebrate her life at an event named “Footprints – Forever 22”. Footprints was created to celebrate the footprints and memories that Nicole has permanently placed on our hearts in the 22 years she was with us. Proceeds from both of these events support the NMG Foundation, NMG scholarships and local charities.
The foundation continues to spread love in honor of Nicole whenever they can. February 2014, during Heart Awareness Month, the NMG foundation donated 75 teddy bears to heart patients at Boca Raton Community Hospital. Each bear contained a special “get well” wish on its wings. Students from New York and Florida contributed hand made get well cards that accompanied these bears.
In 2015, a new campaign was supported by the NMG Foundation. During Heart Awareness month the foundation partnered with the American Heart Association in hopes to educate the public of the importance of detecting the early signs of Heart Disease and it’s prevention . This campaign ran from February through early March. Upon the commencement of the 2015 Heart Awareness campaign, the foundation hosted a 5k Run and Heart Walk with a portion of proceeds to benefit American Heart Association.
In 2015 family and friends of NMG helped with the family’s fundraising efforts and success in donating a larger than life sized Bobcat Statue that beautifully sits at the entrance of Boca Raton Community High School‘s Bobcat Stadium at Boca Raton Florida. In 2017, the family’s efforts focused on a community donation at Hammock Pointe Elementary in Boca Raton, Florida. This project included an educational Butterfly Garden and Kindness Rock Garden consisting of hand decorated kindness rocks designed by Hammock Pointe students.