Lauri Bauer was a wonder—beautiful inside and out, fit and fabulous.
The adored wife and mother of three teenage boys was also a connector of extended family, friends and community. Lauri was PTA president, worked out every day and never missed her sons’ games, even as she stayed in touch with legions of friends old and new.
“She was the glue that held everyone together,” explains her husband, Scott, a former trader and occasional financial commentator on Bloomberg and CNBC.
Last January though, at age 43, Lauri passed away in front of her husband and sons, soon after returning home from an active vacation in Hawaii. She died of an undiagnosed heart arrhythmia.
The outpouring of grief from family, friends and community led to the establishment of the Lauri Bauer Foundation For Sudden Loss. The Foundation’s mission is to give help, healing and hope to families that have suffered a sudden loss or crisis.
Scott’s passion, mission and organizational skills supplied development rocket fuel. “We’re the fortunate 1%. And we will do whatever it takes to help others in similar situations. Whatever it takes,” he declares.
The Foundation has already raised substantial funds, launched two initiatives with partner organizations that specialize in grief counseling: Willow House, which provides group counseling; and the Barr Harris Children’s Grief Center, which provides one-on-one counseling for any child, regardless of their economic means. It has also hosted an outreach program for school district social workers and scheduled another one for the entire Stevenson High School staff.
Most remarkable, the Foundation has already strategically placed and staffed a new Barr Harris office in Deerfield to serve children in the northern and northwestern suburbs. The therapists speak Spanish, English and Italian, enabling them to help families of many backgrounds.
“Barr Harris helps all kids, regardless of their family income,” Bauer states proudly. “And there is no wait list.”
The Buffalo Grove choral group “Encore!” joined the movement too. Here’s the latest update from Scott Bauer:
As you may have already heard, ENCORE! won the National “2011 Sing” Competition. This could not have been accomplished without the unending support from our community, near and far. The combination of ENCORE’s incredible talent and the commitment from friends, family and acquaintances has enabled our Foundation to receive a $20,000 award!
The most amazing thing about this entire contest was the amount of community awareness built around The Lauri S. Bauer Foundation for Sudden Loss, and the need for the types of assistance we can give to the community. We have never been more passionate about our mission: to give HELP, HEALING and HOPE to children and their families that have suffered a sudden loss or crisis.
Again, from the bottom of my heart – thank you for all of your support.
Fondly,
Scott Bauer
