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Ryan’s Tribute: Supporting families who have lost children

7 min read
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For the Observer-Reporter

Instead of a typical urn for Ryan Hanzes’ cremation, his friend, Mason Zieglar, custom- made one using valve pan covers from a race car. Ryan was a member of the Mason Ziegler Racing Team. The engraved urn includes Ryan’s photograph and winning flags from Eldora, his favorite racetrack.

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In November, Ryan’s Tribute sent Comfort Boxes to the families of the 13 U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan earlier this year. The boxes are meant to bring solace to parents who have lost children. Pictured, from left, are board member Mark Rafail, Ryan’s Tribute founder Beth Hanzes, and board member Kim Masi-Brown.

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Third-grade students in Jeremy Winkler’s Hatfield Elementary School class donated 3,000 pairs of socks to Ryan’s Tribute for blessing bags and others in need. Pictured in the front are students Callie Solarchick (left) and Antonio Moore. In the back, from left, are Fritz Conaway, Ryan’s Tribute board president Aaron Hanzes, school Principal Heidi Mears, nonprofit founder Beth Hanzes, Bonnie Conaway and Winkler. The Conaways are Beth Hanzes’ parents.

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For the Observer-Reporter

Beth Hanzes, of South Union Township, shows a remembrance piece for her son Ryan in this 2019 file photo. This Tree of Life shows how Ryan, an organ donor, helped others. Beth started Ryan’s Tribute to give comfort to families who have lost a loved one, and provide ideas for non-traditional memorial services and remembrances.

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For the Observer-Reporter

Ryan’s Tribute is a nonprofit created in memory of Ryan Hanzes, of South Union Township, who died in 2017 at age 24. The nonprofit wants to give comfort to families who have lost a loved one, especially a child, and provide ideas for nontraditional memorial services and remembrances.

Through her nonprofit Ryan’s Tribute, Beth Hanzes wants to fulfill a simple mission: “Who can we touch, who can we help, who can we support?”

The foundation, started in 2019, was formed as a way for the Fayette County woman to keep her son Ryan’s memory alive after his death in a 2017 car crash. He was 24.

“He was a very happy, bubbly son, very easygoing, very simple,” Beth said. “He didn’t require material things in life. He loved people and animals.”

After his death, she said stories of Ryan’s kindness to others poured out – things like co-workers telling her how he’d take them dinner if they didn’t feel well.

“I guess I didn’t realize how giving he was because it’s second-nature for our family,” she said. “That’s just what we do.”

His smile, his hugs and his distinct wave also left an impression, the South Union Township mother said.

Ryan’s Tribute embodies her son’s kind nature through several projects, Beth said, including Comfort Boxes that are sent to families who have lost children, and its Caring at Christmas Campaign, which is currently ongoing.

Comfort Boxes include lavender soap and essential oil, a flannel sheets candle (Ryan’s favorite scent), tissues, seeds of remembrance and prayer coins. Families also get to choose whether they would like a memory bear made with their loved one’s clothing, or a piece of jewelry with a photo of their child.

Beth stressed that boxes aren’t only for those who have lost young children because parents who have lost adult children also suffer greatly.

“Losing a child can affect anybody at any age, and it’s still that same pain,” Beth said. “That’s not supposed to happen; you’re not supposed to lose a child.”

Beth said the boxes are meant to help hold a loved one’s memory in their hearts.

In many ways, it’s why she started Ryan’s Tribute – as a way to keep her son’s kindness and generosity alive.

“I try to look for the positive memories. I do the things he’d want me to do. I get up every day and have a purpose,” she said.

Last month, the nonprofit was able to send Comfort Boxes to the families of the 13 U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan. The soldiers died in an attack outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in August.

“Through many channels and chains – it took almost two months – I was able to get all of the addresses of their families,” Beth said.

The project was especially meaningful to her because all of the soldiers were in their 20s, the same age as Ryan when he died.

Through the Caring at Christmas Campaign, the nonprofit gathers gifts or clothing for children, supplies for pets and items for the area’s homeless population.

From 4 to 8 p.m. this Saturday, Ryan’s Tribute is partnering with Goodie Girls, a Uniontown bakery, for a stuff-the-bus event in Storey Square.

Items needed include new, unwrapped toys and games, electronics, educational items/books, baby items, and pet supplies. Items like easy-to-open snacks, bottled water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand-warmers or gloves can be donated for blessing bags.

There are also donation boxes placed at Third Presbyterian Church, 425 Union St., Uniontown; State Farm Insurance, 37 W. Main St., Uniontown, and Sullivan Brothers Coffee Company, 23 N. Beeson Boulevard, Uniontown.

Those boxes will be picked up on Dec. 22.

A third-grade class at Hatfield Elementary School dedicated the enter month of October (they called it “Socktober”) to collecting socks for Ryan’s Tribute.

In total, the class gathered 3,000 pairs for Beth to put in the blessing bags. Some were also donated to Children and Youth Services. And through Ellie’s Elf Project, hats and gloves were also donated.

Beth said she is always awed at how generous people are.

“It’s amazing the people that come together to help others at Christmas,” Beth said. “I feel like Fayette County gets a bad rap … but it’s the most giving community and county I’ve ever seen. It just warms my heart.”

Ryan’s Tribute is a “nontraditional memorial and bereavement foundation.”

Beth explained that her son wasn’t fond of funeral homes, so their family chose to honor him by foregoing that somber tradition. Instead, they celebrated his life.

The family asked people to wear comfortable clothes to the church service. Beth said they sat in the back row – Ryan’s favorite spot.

Instead of a typical urn for Ryan’s cremation, his friend, Mason Zieglar, custom-made one using valve pan covers from a race car. Ryan was a member of the Mason Ziegler Racing Team. The engraved urn includes Ryan’s photograph and winning flags from Eldora, his favorite racetrack.

After the service, Mason drove a race car with the urn back to the Hanzes’ home, a procession of beeping cars following.

The family set up tents for friends and family to have a day to celebrate Ryan.

“(Funerals) don’t have to be how they were for hundreds of years. That’s not a rule,” Beth said. “We did what he would like and what he would think was cool.”

Someone suggested to her that she share her story, and use it as a way to help others. Family, friends and volunteers helped her get the nonprofit started, holding one major fundraiser each year, and other smaller ones.

At one of those fundraisers, Beth said she looked out into the crowd and saw three families who had lost children sitting together. She knew it must’ve been difficult for them – the pain never goes away – but she also knew it must be healing to share grief with those who understand.

“I thought, what I’m doing is working,” she said.

While Ryan’s Tribute focuses mostly on local families, Beth said her goal is to reach into neighboring counties, and eventually across the country.

Doing so helps her, she said, because she’s able to continue to spread the love her son showed so many others in his life.

“Long-term, only really famous people you remember the names of,” Beth said. “It would be great if his name was remembered because of how many people we helped over the years.”

Anyone who has lost a child or who knows someone who has can reach out to Beth at ryanstributecharity@gmail.com to receive a Comfort Box.

Beth said she’s always happy for volunteers. In the immediate sense, she said they could help sort gifts that have come in through the Christmas campaign. They are also welcome to help work at fundraisers, solicit donations, or help with social media outreach.

To volunteer, reach out to Beth through ryanstributecharity@gmail.com.

To donate, send checks to Ryan’s Tribute to 118 Southwood Drive, Uniontown. The checks should be made out to Ryan’s Tribute. There is also a “donate” button on the website, ryanstribute.org. The nonprofit is also a listed charity through the Amazon Smile program in which the online retailer donates .5% of all eligible purchases to the chosen charity at no additional cost to the customer.

For more information, visit smile.amazon.com.

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