More than 850 presents were given to children in the Port Washington community on Saturday, Dec. 13, through the Rose Elizabeth Foundation, a non-profit organization created in honor of Rose Beagan, a Port Washington child who died unexpectedly in 2019 when she was two years old.
The foundation was started in Rose’s memory by her family in 2020. Laura Beagan, Rose’s mother, said the foundation has helped keep Rose’s spirit, love, light and joy alive, and that it has helped provide for the community ever since.
The foundation’s sixth annual toy drive at St. Peter’s Preschool featured over 75 volunteers who helped wrap the presents. Laura Beagan and her husband then distributed the gifts out to underprivileged children in the community.
In addition to gifts, the foundation also helped raise money to give a kid with cancer and his family the opportunity to spend a night in a hotel together, and it donated Christmas trees to Port Washington families, Beagan said.
Beagan said the holiday season is always difficult for her and her family, as Rose died in late December, but she said they turn that feeling into positivity for the community.
“This was just a positive way for us to be able to channel our grief and continue to do good in [Rose’s] name,” she said. “We say that her love and her light continue to shine throughout the community.”
Beagan said the toy drive efforts take place over the span of a few weeks, from discovering what kids want for the holidays to getting the gifts and then giving them out.
According to the foundation’s website, Rose was loved by her family and community. The foundation holds several other fundraising events throughout the year to help communities and “spread a little bit of Rosie’s spirit.”
