The
Founders
One Bright Star was founded in 1998 by four
mothers who experienced the tragedy of a passing child, Jan Backlund,
Linda Janavaras, Vicki Meyer and Barbara Rischmiller.
- Jan lost her daughter, Khia, after a long battle with Leukemia on
November 3rd, 1990. Khia was 10 years old.
- Barb lost her son, Brandon, after a pole vaulting accident of February
4th, 1991. He was 18 years old.
- Linda lost her son, John, after being suddenly stricken with Meningitis,
February 3rd, 1995. He was 15 years old.
- Vicki lost her son, Brandon, in a fatal car crash May 19th, 1995.
He was 17 years old.
These women were meant to be together, in that
they have many similarities. None knew each other before their tragedies.
Barb and Vicki each lost a "Brandon" and have one remaining
child, a daughter and they are both named Kimberly.
They all lost their "baby" (the youngest
child), they all had two children; one boy, one girl, and the opposite
is left. Jan and Barb lost their children three months apart - Linda
and Vicki lost their sons three months apart.
They first came together
and met in October of 1996 as a source of support for one another.
As time went on and they all got to know one another better, they discussed
the possibility of creating a pin that they could wear that would
signal to people at a glance that they are grieving parents. For the
next two and a half years they met every three to four weeks to plan
this organization.
They designed the star pin and had a freelance artist
make them each one. From there they went to a jeweler who has made
a mold and is now producing their orders. 100% of the profits will go
toward helping to support families.
Nothing in life prepares a person
for the death of their child - NOTHING!
We can't take away the
pain of the loss, but we can offer some help.
