The Laura Christine Allen Memorial Fund : Memorial Fund

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THE LAURA CHRISTINE ALLEN MEMORIAL FUND

Laura Christine Allen

The Laura Christine Allen Memorial Fund provides annual distributions in support of the causes and passions that so defined the character and beauty of Laura. Some of the areas of focus will be to help children in need, and to support women’s causes.

About Laura

Laura was born on September 25, 1963 in Los Angeles, California. From the very beginning, Laura’s family knew she was going to be someone special. Her fiery red hair matched a fiery spirit that grew into a real passion for activities and causes she believed in. At an early age, Laura must have heard somewhere that boys were stronger than girls, because she lived her life debunking that notion. When she graduated from Cal High School in 1981, she received the honor of becoming the school’s first female Athlete of the Year. Laura went on to play softball at Long Beach City College and Cal Poly Pomona. She was an exceptional golfer, soccer player and marathon runner. Her competitive spirit was tempered with a kind and gentle soul; someone who always rooted for the underdog and cared passionately about the world around her and those in it. Running the marathons, she raised thousands of dollars for charities, including the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society.

Laura’s love of sports led to a long and successful career as the Team Room Manager at Chick’s Sporting Goods in Covina. She was a driven and committed manager who never settled for anything less than the high ideals she set for herself.

Anyone who knew Laura knew she had a particular passion for three things: Her family and friends, her faith, and the Los Angeles Dodgers – (and not always in that order!) She was also a lover of music, a collector of whimsical things, an avid reader and an adventurous traveler. Laura loved nature and Mother Earth and was blessed to have had an amazing circle of friends in the Long Beach community she called home. These friends rallied to her side and, along with her family, offered love and support through the four and a half years Laura courageously battled cancer.

Laura was never just a passenger in life - along only for the ride. She was always in the driver’s seat, making things happen, taking part in what mattered most; just ask her nieces and nephews. Laura was a constant fixture at their baseball, soccer, basketball and football games offering encouragement and support for every new thing they tried. Laura was always, and will always be, a role model to them and to all of us who knew and loved her.

Fund Administrators:

Chris and Bob Allen
Nancy Owen
Doug Allen

Current Recipient:

Los Angeles Dodgers Dream Foundation provides educational, athletic and recreational opportunities for the youth of the greater Los Angeles area, placing emphasis on reaching traditionally under-served youngsters. One of the things the Foundation does is build state-of-the-art "Dodger Dream Fields" for future baseball and softball stars. Laura's lifelong interest in sports, in particular baseball and softball makes the Dodgers Dream Foundation an excellent recipient for an award from her memorial fund.
“Team in Training,” a fund-raising program for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, was one of Laura’s special interests. She ran several marathons for the team raising more than $25,000.00. When a co-worker of Laura’s sister, Nancy, said she was going to run her first marathon for “Team in Training” the family felt this was an excellent opportunity to give support to the team by sponsoring Michelle. During the race, Michelle was reminded of the people she was running for and Laura’s name came to mind. She was also reminded of the words Nancy told her before the race that Laura would be with her the whole way and send her energy when it was needed. Michelle said, “I needed that boost of energy and support and with that extra care I was able to finish the race and accomplish 26.2 miles.”

The pictures show Michelle before, during and after the marathon (click picture for a larger version).

July 2009 Long Beach Golf Little League
Combining Laura's love of golf with her love of kids made a perfect match for our July 2009 recipient: The Long Beach Golf Little League. A scholarship in her memory will provide for kids who don't have the resources to learn and play golf. Christine Allen (Laura's mom) and Tamary McCrabb (Laura's good friend) were on hand at the Long Beach Golf Little League opening day ceremony to present a check for scholarships. www.lbgll.org

Recipients:

2009 Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Donations:

All donations to the Laura Christine Allen Memorial Fund (a division of CHARITYSMITH) are tax deductible in accordance with federal tax laws. Donations can be made using one of the following secure methods:

By mail: send your donation check payable to:
Laura Christine Allen Memorial Fund
c/o CHARITYSMITH Nonprofit Foundation
PO Box 10750, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

At Wells Fargo Bank: donations can be deposited directly to the Laura Christine Allen Memorial Fund. For account information, please contact CHARITYSMITH at 800-276-6546.

Gift Card: Donate in honor of someone and we will mail a gift card directly to your family, friends, or business associates telling them you’ve made a donation in their honor. Make a Donation

By phone: donate with a credit card by calling our office at 800-276-6546.
Online: donate with a credit card or your PayPal/Google Checkout account by clicking one of the links below. Please note: PayPal deducts a small transaction fee from each donation. CHARITYSMITH is a Google grant recipient, and Google Checkout does not deduct a transaction fee.

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Thank you for your tax-deductible donation to CHARITYSMITH's Laura Christine Allen Memorial Fund.
You will receive a receipt by mail within one month of your donation.

This memorial fund is established as a division of CHARITYSMITH Nonprofit Foundation EIN 87-0636433. CHARITYSMITH is dedicated to the creation and governing of memorial endeavors. All donations are tax deductible in accordance with federal tax laws. If you have any questions regarding this donation or memorial fund, please contact CHARITYSMITH at your convenience.