Anna’s Celebration of Life Foundation (ACOLF) was inspired by a young Anna Molloy, a little girl born with a rare genetic disorder who wanted to ensure that other children with special needs were afforded the joy of “celebrating their specialness” by providing them with life-enhancing gifts needed to thrive.
Anna’s spirit of giving was contagious and everyone who came in contact with her felt a burst of energy coming from her small body. She gave so much of herself to so many others, dedicated to ensuring that every child had the opportunity to celebrate their “specialness.”
To provide life-enhancing gifts to Indiana children with special needs.
That the lives of all children with special needs are celebrated.
Anna’s father (Pete Molloy) is the co-owner of Jobsite Supply, a successful construction supply company located near the heart of downtown Indianapolis. It was more than ‘construction ideas at work’ that Pete and his partner were building in the mid-80’s though. They were building relationships that developed into something so much more than any bricks and mortar could build. Pete’s first customers in 1985, Joe Carr & family, along with four other gentlemen deemed both customers and friends, had of course been following Anna’s life and the family’s struggles during her earliest years.
[Founders: The Carr Family]
Joe Carr (Father) Tim Carr (Son) Tom Carr (son)
[Organizing Body]
Brad Schrock (Custom Concrete), Ernie Beaty (WE Beaty Construction), Brad Hoop (WE Beaty Construction), Richard Dotson (Karns Inc./Conco Construction)
In 2004, they approached Pete seeking permission to start a foundation in Anna’s honor and invited him to one of their regular meetings to discuss the ideas that had been formulating throughout the previous six months.
It was at this first meeting they presented the idea of a foundation celebrating Anna’s life and the lives of “special” children throughout the greater Indianapolis community and beyond. Going far above just brainstorming the concept, the team also managed all of the logistics and necessities in order to be a legal and legitimate 501(c)3 nonprofit organization as well as securing the necessary financial backing in order to launch.
With the blessing of the entire Molloy family, including young Anna, Anna’s Celebration of Life Foundation, Inc. was born, becoming official in April 2005. In the early years, Anna was involved in all of the fundraising events as well as with the presentation of approximately 12 to 15 gifts per year. Today, Anna’s legacy lives on and we know she is with us for each and every one of the nearly 100 children we celebrate each year.
Anna’s spirit of giving became contagious to everyone who came in contact with her giant spirit trapped in a small body. One of those people was Lucious Newsom, a southern Baptist minister who came to Indianapolis to help serve the Mozel Sanders Thanksgiving dinner and stayed to serve the poor for the next 25 years.
Anna, along with her family, volunteered to help Lucious on his mission to distribute food to families on the near-west side of the city. It was during their weekly Saturday morning food ministries (on a sidewalk) in the community known as Stringtown, that a beautiful bond grew between Anna and Lucious.
One Saturday morning while the family was volunteering, Pete approached Lucious telling him about the creation of Anna’s Celebration of Life Foundation and its mission to help children with special needs. This talk sent Lucious into motion. He asked Pete to take a ride with him through the neighborhood being served by The Lord’s Pantry ministry. While parked in an empty lot, Lucious told Pete that this ministry needed a home and that Pete and his colleagues were the ones to help make this happen. And, while Pete explained that a food pantry doesn’t really fit into the mission of the newly formed Foundation, Lucious quickly corrected him suggesting that the children of Stringtown had special needs…to overcome poverty and hunger. That was all it took for Pete and his inspired colleagues to help Lucious’ vision become reality.
On the day of the ground breaking, Lucious announced to everyone in attendance that this new building, a house to feed and support the children and families of Stringtown, would be called Anna’s House – to honor his dear friend Anna Molloy, “a little girl who in spite of her challenges, gave so much of herself to so many others.”
On July 31, 2008, Anna lost her long-fought battle with Geleophysics Dysplasia. Eighteen days later, Lucious Newsom lost his long-fought battle with cancer. It seems so fitting that 2 people so dedicated to giving to others would continue their partnership together… in Heaven.
