Making a difference: Cole Shergi Legacy Fund helps young people pursue their dreams
Cole Shergi Legacy Fund helps young people pursue their dreams
A Burgettstown family found a way to turn tragedy into hope as they honor their late son while helping their community.
Cole Shergi graduated from Burgettstown High School in 2021. “Cole had so much life ahead of him, and I did not want his story to end with his death,” says Cole’s father, Melio Shergi. “I wanted to find a way to take the love we had for him and turn it into something positive – something that could continue helping other people in his name.”
The family created The Cole Shergi Legacy Fund following Cole’s death Nov. 6, 2022. “Cole was only 20 years old when his life was taken in a UTV accident,” says Melio. “After losing him, I was faced with a question that I think many parents who experience that kind of loss struggle with: How do you continue to honor your child whose life was cut far too short?”
What started as a way to keep Cole’s memory alive has grown into something far bigger than the family ever imagined.
“Every scholarship we give, every child we help and every family or organization we support gives us another opportunity to keep a piece of Cole here in the community,” says Melio, founder and president of The Cole Shergi Legacy Fund. “We can’t change the way Cole’s story ended, but we can help write what his legacy becomes.”
For their positive impact on the community, The Cole Shergi Legacy Fund is this month’s Observer-Reporter Driven By Hope Award recipient sponsored by Washington Auto Mall.
The fund’s mission is simple: to honor Cole’s memory by giving back to the community and helping young people pursue their dreams.
“One of the biggest parts of our work has been providing scholarships to local students,” explains Melio. “What started with scholarships in the Burgettstown Area School District has grown to include students from Burgettstown, Avella and Fort Cherry. In just three-and-a-half years, we have provided approximately $40,000 in scholarships to deserving students.”
But the fund goes well beyond scholarships. The group has contributed nearly another $35,000 to charitable causes and individuals in need.
“We have supported local families, youth sports, community organizations, medical and funeral expenses, holiday giving, meals and other causes where we felt we could make a difference. We’ve also been fortunate enough to provide more than 350 Christmas gifts to children and families in need during the holiday season.
“What makes me most proud is that the fund has continued to grow. It has become something that isn’t just about remembering Cole; it is about making a difference in the lives of people who never even had the opportunity to know him.”
Melio also recently wrote a book, “Give Heaven Some Hell,” about his journey through losing Cole, grief, love and legacy. “Writing the book gave me another way to tell Cole’s story and hopefully help other people who have experienced a deep loss,” he says. “In many ways, the book and the Legacy Fund are connected; they are both ways of taking something incredibly painful and trying to create something meaningful from it by turning pain into purpose.”
The community provides tremendous support for the fund and Shergi says that means everything.
“The greatest thing the community can give us is simply its support,” says Melio. “Donations allow us to provide more scholarships and help more people, but support comes in many forms. We rely heavily on volunteers and local businesses that are willing to donate their time, services, auction items, or sponsorships for our events. We also appreciate people simply sharing what we are doing and helping us spread the word.”
His goal is to continue building something that belongs to more than just his family.
“We want the Legacy Fund to belong to the community because Cole was part of this community. When people come together to support the fund, they are helping us turn his memory into something positive for someone else. Every donation, every volunteer hour and every person who helps spread the word allows us to continue Cole’s legacy.”
Melio says the best part of doing the group’s work is seeing the reaction of the people they help and knowing that Cole’s name is making a difference in someone’s life.
“The scholarships are especially meaningful to me,” he adds. “When you meet a young person who has worked hard, has dreams for their future and you can tell them that they have been chosen for a scholarship in Cole’s name, there is something incredibly special about that moment. Cole never got the opportunity to see what his own future would look like. So being able to give another young person a little help as they begin theirs means a lot to me.”
He says he also loves hearing stories from people who knew Cole and remembering the person he was, not just the tragedy of how his family lost him.
“That is really what this is about. I want people to remember Cole for how he lived, who he was and the impact he had on the people around him. If his name can continue to bring hope, opportunity, and kindness to other people, then I feel like we are doing exactly what we set out to do.”
For more information on the Cole Shergi Legacy Fund and how to support their work, visit their Facebook page at The Cole Shergi Legacy Fund.