Ashlyn Would Go! Foundation for Futures was established in memory of our daughter Ashlyn who died at age 14 on April 21, 2005 from Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

She was a delightful young woman with many interests, including literature, the arts and a tremendous love for surfing and the ocean.
 
The foundation was established in her memory and is an effort to help others reach their full potential in life.

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We are very, very sad to announce the passing of our good friend Johnny Romano.

Ten yr old Johnny fought a valiant struggle against leukemia, enduring three years of very difficult treatments before succumbing to complications on Tues., 9/23.

Johnny was a hero to all of us that knew him and will always be an example of courage and tenacity in the face of difficult circumstances. He died with great dignity, having earned the respect of many people across the globe who followed his journey through cancer via the blog below.

http://www.j-grom.blogspot.com/

We will always remember Johnny as he is shown in the photo below from the grom roundup.

He is standing in the middle of the pack, shirtless, with a backpack on, holding up his first place trophy and a smile beaming from ear to ear.

Please pray for this family as they make their way through this very sad time.

The 4th Annual Ashlyn Shoemaker Memorial Grom Roundup, postponed due to Hurricane Ike

As a result of the evacuation and slow resettlement of Galveston, we are unable to host the contest.

We will regroup and try to get things rescheduled once life starts to resemble "normal" again.

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SCHOLARSHIP WINNER!!!!

Photo Kevin Cox - Galveston Daily News

We are stoked to announce that Bori Juhasz was awarded the first Ashlyn Shoemaker Memorial Scholarship. Bori is a great young woman, with great grades and an exceptional outlook on life. She will be attending the University of Houston in the fall and will be swimming for the Cougars as well. She should be in good shape to swim as she currently serves on the Galveston Beach Patrol. We met Bori years ago through Ashlyn and are so happy that the selection committee awarded this scholarship to one of her friends.

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In related news, we have purchased two Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) for the Texas Gulf Surfing Association. This will allow for one to be on hand for both the north and south districts, should a competitor or spectator have a cardiac event.

Mahalo

Crissy & Joel Helmke