SALT LAKE CITY — Some say grief is love with nowhere to go.
Mother Rachelle Jensen channels all that love and pours it back into others. She lost her son Graysen, who was hit and killed by a car in October of 2016.
“I miss him a lot,” Jensen said. “A whole lot.”
After Graysen died over eight years ago, she decided to donate his birthday toys to Primary Children’s Hospital. It’s been a tradition ever since.
On Sunday afternoon, around 30 people gathered for the 9th annual toy drive, Gifts From Graysen. People assembled take-home bags with clothes and toiletries for the Christmas Box House, an emergency children’s shelter, in honor of Graysen’s 10th birthday — on March 31 — this year.
“He was an angel from the start,” Jensen said.
More than 20 duffle bags were filled with supplies and clothes for kids experiencing abuse, neglect, or homelessness. After people assembled take take-home bags, they went outside to blow bubbles to celebrate and remember Graysen.
Each year, Graysen’s family asks for different items based on the age he’s turning that year. This year, the family asked for clothes and other items for kids ages 10-11.
“When he fell, he would always get back up, he was really strong about it. He never cried. He never let it get him down. I try to think of his strength when we carry on his memory,” Jensen said.
To learn more about how to donate or volunteer, visit the Gifts From Graysen Facebook page.
“I love my kids quite a bit, and that doesn’t go away when they pass away,” Jensen said. “All of that love just has to go somewhere.”
