
“It was exciting to see the response to the program and the many uses that people found for it,” Bailey said. In addition to middle schools, elementary and high schools expressed an interest, along with various local groups like the Girl Scouts. We had schools from New York to Oregon to California to Florida interested in the program in 2004 when we initially started it.” The feedback on the program, Citizenship Education () has been terrific. Two years after the foundation was established, Tom Burnett’s niece, Kathleen West, an English teacher, along with a history teacher created a social studies program for middle schools.īailey said, “We started talking to her about it and felt it would probably be a good fit for the foundation. It provided great seed money to start the scholarships and to sponsor the social studies program for the middle schools,” Bailey said. and these tournaments were just a fun thing to do many of Tom’s friends could get involved and share their memories of him. These are wonderful legacies for Tom’s memory because education was so important to him.”Īs part of the foundation’s fundraising efforts, golf tournaments have been held in California, Minnesota and Arkansas in the past. The interest that these gifts draw provides the scholarships so they are sustainable. There are differing amounts and the majority of them were set up by the foundation, anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 gifts.

The University of Minnesota scholarship was funded by Burnett’s business fraternity and the Pepperdine scholarship, funded by alumni of the college, Bailey said, Each school decides who will receive the scholarship. Each scholarship is based on the criteria of that particular college with input from the foundation. The program has now grown to include Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., where he received his master’s degree in business and the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.,” said his wife Deena Burnett Bailey, a native of Dermott. “In the beginning, Tom’s parents set up a scholarship at Jefferson High School in Bloomington, Minn., his alma mater, to help students majoring in business and planning to attend either the University of Minnesota or St. Today, a large part of the foundation’s mission revolves around two programs: scholarships and a middle-school social studies program. On the first anniversary of 9/11, his wife Deena, his parents and sisters and close family friends established the Tom Burnett Family Foundation. We are waiting until we get over a rural area. The Burnett family was inspired by what Tom told his wife while he was on Flight 93 and knew it was being hijacked. By preserving memories or starting a foundation, many people are still touched by the life of the California businessman from Minnesota. The family of Tom Burnett has not let his death on 9/11 be forgotten. Memory objects have value far beyond their material and can be a great source of stories, memories, connection and comfort.


In the beginning after a loss, pain often takes center stage and it can be hard to feel comforted by memories.
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Alive in Memory: How to preserve memories of loved ones
