PROJECTS
BOOK
DRIVE
Soaring for C! teamed up with York University Women's Basketball for a Christmas Book Drive for local schools and daycares across York County, Nebraska.
We raised right under 2,500 books!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
All books raised are being sent out to multiple foster care homes, CASA, day cares, & being personally delivered by your YUWBB members!
Thank you to all of the schools & community members that participated in the book drive, we could not of done this without your help!!
These books were raised for local Foster cares & any other local entity that could benefit from the joy of reading.
Reading is one way you can be able to escape from the world around you, especially when things might be tough.
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
We love to pay it forward in Cessna's honor.
Any act of kindness or compassion goes a long way.
Since starting Soaring For C! and the Random Acts of Kindness Project has spread over 10,000 cards and are currently circulating through the entire world!
Please contact us if you would like some RAK cards to spread in Cessna's honor.
When Soaring For C! became a non profit foundation, it was a way for Cessna's family to find healing through helping others.
We were chosen as the benefactor for Zephyrfest this year and WOW!!!...the community showed up!!! By community, I mean family and friends, the small but mighty Bridging the Gap Committee, the businesses that helped sponsor the event, the bands that were there to put on the show, the band followers, the Soaring For C followers, those that have completely embraced our family from miles and thousands of miles away. And those that have been affected by suicide, those that have survived suicide themselves, and everyone out there struggling mentally that showed up and continue to show up everyday, despite life.
Wow! Wow!! WOW!!!
Through Zephyrfest we received a monster donation this week...$14,000...combined with $1500 that Soaring For C received directly within the 2 weeks following the event....for a total of $15, 500!!!
Just saying 'thank you" feels inadequate. Raising this amount of money for a little non profit, created out of greif and love, is extraordinary and humbling at the same time
Thank you to everyone for your kindness, generosity, and in all of the ways you have supported us
Truths
Life is hard and intertwined with highs and lows. We suffer. We rebound. We hope things become easier. Life becomes good. But then it becomes hard again.
Repeat.
And then maybe a downward spiral.
Sometimes it gets so hard that it's difficult to imagine rebounding.
But what if there was a small glimmer of hope. Maybe that glimmer is a friend. Maybe that glimmer is a stranger.
What if you were able to take a chance... and tell someone, anyone how you feel? Its hard to open up. But people are innately good and kind hearted and want to listen and help. What if you trusted someone to help you? What if that glimmer begins to help you climb out of your low?
What if someone was kind to you?
What if you were kind?
What if you felt loved?
What if you loved?
What if you felt important and appreciated?
What if you showed how important someone was to you?
What if tomorrow needs you?
What if you need tomorrow too?
You are never alone and you are loved
We need each other
This is our purpose
Soaring For C!
Thank you @everyone
ROCKIN FOR A
REASON
Soaring For C to Boonville, Missouri
Boonville, Missouri. Population 8000. Directly 100 miles east of Kansas City, Missouri. It was the site of one of the first Civil War battles in 1861 and is a town full of numerous historic markers along the Missouri River.
Fayette, Missouri. Population 2800. North of Boonville approximately 18 miles. Multiple National Register of Historic Places.
York, Nebraska. Population 8000. Crossroads of the Midwest, intersecting Interstate 80 and Highway 81.
Margie Brimer. Boonville High School Teacher, English Language Arts. Humanities.
Bailey Brimer. Fayette High School Teacher, English Language Arts. Honors English.
Me: Misty Brouillette, York, NE, Cessna’s mom and Soaring For C! president.
Soaring For C!:
Soaring For C! started as a Facebook group in memory of Cessna Elyse Brestel. It has become known as a place of Random Acts of Kindness with over 17,000 kindness cards circulating around the world in her memory. Soaring For C! is now a non-profit organization. This organization promotes random acts of kindness, and kindness in general. Soaring For C! also touches on the importance of mental health, primarily for elementary to college age students, and in particular suicide awareness/prevention.
July 2021. Margie’s basement flooded, displaced, and damaged both her daughters’ furniture. Sharon and Jim Platt, who previously lived in York, NE, allowed Margie to take what furniture she needed from their store and handed her a card. This card was a Random Act of Kindness in honor of Cessna. The Platt’s would not allow payment and only asked that the act of kindness be paid forward.
August 2022. Boonville High School Humanities Class. The Humanities include, but are not limited to: Language, History, Philosophy, Literature, Art, Imagination, Empathy.
Margie reached out to me via social media and explained to me how she received one of “Cessna’s Cards.” She shared her story to her humanities class, consisting of mostly seniors and a few juniors. She wanted to involve the students, and they were immediately eager to join the cause and wanted to know what Cessna would want and how they could pay it forward. Learning of Cessna’s love of animals, they decided to organize an animal adoption event.
Mind you, they do not know Cessna, they do not know me. We are complete strangers, brought together by a card.
Bailey Brimer, daughter of Margie, also joined in on the pay it forward event with her Honors English Class from Fayette, compromised of sophomores.
Together the students created Free Fall Festival, held on a beautiful fall, Saturday. The festival included games, such as: egg toss, corn hole, pillowcase races, and tug of war. Boonville Animal Shelter and Second Chance animal Rescue from Columbia, Missouri were present with their fury friends to promote animal adoptions.
The students invited me to attend.
345 miles or approximately 5 ½ hours away.
Of course, I would be there to support them! I added in the conversation that I could speak to their class on Friday, if my schedule allowed for it. We decided to keep that part of it a surprise, just in case I would not be able to get there.
I did get there.
And on Friday morning, I walked into two classrooms….and was introduced as Cessna’s mom.
Eyes wide and at full attention, they learned a little bit more about Cessna and me. Yes, there was a tragedy. Yes, there were traumas. Life is hard. Words matter. Kindness matters. You don’t really ever know how much of a difference you make to others. Your presence matters.
My presence mattered.
To me it mattered if I was there. To support them in an outreach project in memory of my Cessna, complete strangers.
No longer strangers. Brought together by kindness.
Boonville and Fayette family,
You will never know how much you have touched my broken soul. Thank you for being a band-aid on my broken heart.
Forever your biggest supporter!
Cessna’s mom
To find out more about Cessna’s story visit www.soaringforc.org
Margie Brimer Bailey Brimer Boonville R-1 School District Fayette R-III High School
