ALEXA'S STORY She had the bluest eyes you have ever seen and a cute giggle to go with an adorable personality. Alexa's spirit and strength touched the hearts of all who knew her. She taught us the deepest form of love and the heart to never give up. In her short time here she taught us faith, hope and compassion. She made a difference in so many lives, Alexa died February 7, 2001.

THE FOUNDATION Alexa's spirit touches the hearts of those who need her. We have been able to help many families since 2001, with household items, travel expenses for experimental treatment, a car for transportation to and from the hospital, a caregiver for the child, mortgages, rent and many other needs a family may endure. We will continue helping families facing the most emotional and financially devastating time of their lives. Our journey began on Christmas Eve, 1999, when Alexa was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. It was impossible to grasp that our spirited child with amazing blue eyes could be taken from us. We couldn't accept that fate and we refused to believe we could lose her. After surgery and months of chemotherapy and hospitalizations, we knew we had to accept that Alexa would not be with us much longer. We asked ourselves "Is there any good that can come from this?" We could help families experiencing the heartbreak of losing a child. On that day, the Alexa Dyer Foundation was born. And in our grief, a little bit of hope was born as well. Even though we fought to keep her with us, and Alexa fought to stay, our beautiful daughter died on February 7, 2001. One of our goals to raise awareness about the needs of families who are struggling financially due to the impact of the terminal illness. People are usually poignantly aware of the emotional drain on a family whose child is dying. But we realized early on that few people think about the financial drain when life stops, jobs get put on hold, and all that matters is the precious time left with the dying child. That's where the Alexa Dyer Foundation comes in. To our knowledge, no other program exists like it in the country. We want to get the word out to other cities to support families whose emotions and finances are drained during such a painful time. We help families in Oregon and Southwest Washington whose finances are in peril. Over 100 families have received financial assistance typically within days of the request. We assist families directly by paying their mortgage or rent payment, utilities, car payment, cell phone or other debtors. Sadly we have received more requests than ever. Our goal is to be able to give away at least $100,000 a year. To do so, we want to create an endowment of at least $2 million and also to raise awareness so other cities can create programs to support families locally. The foundation is completely run by volunteers.