An area mom is finding a heartwarming way to celebrate her daughter's life, delivering "Birthday Blessings" to the same community that supported her during her darkest moments.
Today would have been Ash Quick's 20th birthday. The teen took her own life in 2015. December 28, 2018 now marks the fourth birthday without her here.
Her mother April Quick has spent each of those birthdays giving back, taking the money she would've spent on her daughter and instead, paying it forward by surprising random strangers with gifts.
"It helps us get through," Quick said. "Instead of dreading Ashlyn's birthday coming up, we actually look forward to it. It just kind of gives a dark time a little bit more meaning."
The random acts of kindness are also a way to make sure her daughter's suicide doesn't define her life.
"Take the negative and make it something positive and let that be her legacy, not the tragedy of what happened," she said.
Every year, the family loads up and visits some of Ash's favorite places, leaving money and inspirational notes for the next person in line much to their surprise and gratitude. The small gestures brought big smiles to people like Jennifer Watson.
"That is what this holiday spirit is all about," Watson, who received money to pay for gas, said. "Every day I make it a point to give a gift of some type, so I should not have been surprised and I'm grateful to that mother that she had that child and loves that child and continues to share that child's life and love with people like me."
Libby Caryl and her family were on the receiving end of a meal at Waffle House this morning. Even before they found out the back story, the random act of kindness inspired them to pay it forward.
"I didn't realize what was behind the generosity, but it was nice, so we just did it for someone else behind us," Caryl said. "What a nice tribute to her daughter."
Quick said that reaction alone made today worth celebrating.
"It's about even just reaching one person, so to know that we reached one person, that's what it's all about, hoping to make one person's day," she said.