SHELBURNE FALLS — A 28-year-old local charity, the Mary Lyon Foundation, has created a new “Guardian Angel Fund” seeking to support children and their families in difficult circumstances.
The Guardian Angel Fund was created in honor of Anna Marie Townsend, a young girl who died shortly after moving to Shelburne Falls in 1966 at age 10, a news release states.
“She stood at 4-and-a-half feet tall, with beautiful blue eyes and short light brown hair that her mother sometimes braided into pigtails,” the release states about Anna Marie. “She was the oldest of three children and shared their love for a beagle named Smokey.”
The fund originated with two “generous local residents,” who asked the Mary Lyon Foundation to create it to help “close the gaps between needs and resources,” the release states. Donations will be matched up to a total of $5,000 by anonymous donors. The fund will distribute money to families “on an as-needed basis.”
“Contributors will be guardian angels,” said Mary Lyon Foundation Co-Executive Director Sue Samoriski in the release. “They include those who remember Anna Marie, and those who simply want to help struggling families transition toward a better future.”
To donate, send a check to the Mary Lyon Foundation at P.O. Box 184, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370, give online at marylyonfoundation.org/giving/, or send a stock transfer. Include instructions directing gifts to the Guardian Angel Fund.
Contact the Mary Lyon Foundation at 413-625-2555.
Reach Grace Bird at gbird@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280.