THE GARDINER FAMILY

The Gardiner Foundation

The Gardiner Foundation was initially created to pay honorable memory to the many lives lost in the Gardiner family. The start of the sorrow filled year began with the passing of Dexter Gardiner's mother Adina Bernard on January 16, 2006. Then a few short months later on June 2, 2006 his sister Betty Bernard passed away. In July as members of the family were remembering his mother in a basketball memorial set in her honor the unthinkable occurred. On July 9, 2006 while traveling on the Bronx River Parkway Derrick Gardiner, Keywann Gardiner, Jamel Gardiner, Brandon Days, Jeremiah Blackwell, Howard Raymond, and Asia Green were in a fatal car wreck. This horrific accident miraculously left one survivor Howard Raymond clinging to life. Although Howard was expected to die from the injuries he sustained in accident he made his way back to us through many prayers and intense physical therapy. Since the events of this unbearable year Dexter Gardiner formed a memorial Basketball tournament to remember and honor all the lives lost in his family and one year after that the Gardiner Foundation was created. We at the Gardiner Foundation recognize the other agonizing families in our community who too have suffered the horrible tragedy of losing loved ones. We have reached out to them by going to their home and speaking with them asking if they have the financial means to send their loved one's home and if not we helped them. We did this by raising money by having raffles and giving them the proceeds as well as having a church offering service one night and also giving all we collected to them. Our own Pastor Gooding even came to the home of a woman who lost her 5 children in a car crash last summer and prayed with the family. The Gardiner Foundation is expanding what it was originally created for every day by extending love and recognition to all who are losing loved ones and remembering them rather than just focusing on their family alone. It is greatly appreciated by the community and fulfilling to us to give strength and support to the people who need it now as we did then.