Moorestown Sisters Honor Late Friend’s Memory
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Community Corner
Paige Holland, a Moorestown High School student, was 17 when she passed away last year from complications due to epilepsy.
Rob Scott, Patch Staff
Paige Holland understood you didn’t need to be a politician, or a wealthy CEO, or a Nobel laureate, to change the world.
“Paige was devoted to making others feel happy, important and loved,” said her mother, Kara. “That was who she was … Even if you make just one person a little happier each day, that is a day well-lived.
“
Few knew this better than Alexandra and Kacie Liebman, close friends of Paige who said she was always there for them—to make them smile, or defend them against bullies, or make them her famous rice pudding.
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Paige passed away a year ago last week at the age of 17 from complications due to epilepsy, which afflicted her most of her life. Alexandra and Kacie’s mother, Robin, said it was “one of the saddest days” of her daughters’ lives.
And yet, Paige left behind “so many beautiful gifts.”
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“She treated every single day like it was a holiday,” said Alexandra, a senior at Moorestown High School, who had been best friends with Paige since 10th grade. “If I had a bad day, Paige always knew how to make me smile.”
Kacie, Alexandra’s younger sister, said Paige was “like our sister.”
“She always thought about others and never about herself,” said the 12-year-old.
It was Kacie, along with her sister, who initially conceived the idea of honoring Paige’s memory, and her dream of beating epilepsy, with a fundraiser.
The Liebman sisters, with the help of their mother and other supporters, organized the Paige’s Green Dream 5k/10k Walk for this Sunday at Moorestown High School. Robin said performing community service is one of the requirements for bat mitzvah, which Kacie recently celebrated.
“There were no other things that she could think to do other than honoring Paige’s dream (of conquering epilepsy),” said Robin.
Kacie hopes not only will the event raise money for the Epilepsy Foundation, but also can dispel some of the misconceptions and stigmas surrounding the affliction.
Kara Holland said she is “so grateful” to the Liebmans and the other supporters and organizers behind the walk.
“It really does help warm our broken hearts,” she said. “We are very grateful and honored.”
Registration starts at 9 a.m., followed by opening remarks from the family and the dedication of a bench bearing Paige’s name outside the high school.
The walk begins at 10 a.m.
You can register for the walk and/or make a donation on the Paige’s Green Dream website. Robin said they’ve raised more than $12,000 so far, between registered walkers and donations.
“We take these very tragic moments, and we can’t change these moments,” said Robin, “but we can make something so positive come out of them.”
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Paige’s Green Dream Walk to raise money and awareness on Nov. 3
Setting out to raise money for the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey, two local teens also hope to raise awareness and honor their friend with Paige’s Green Dream Walk.
Paige’s Green Dream Walk will take place on Nov. 3, beginning at 10 a.m. at Moorestown High School.
The walk will start and end at the high school, with vendors such as Cyberonics and the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey promoting epilepsy awareness and education.
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Choosing November because it’s Epilepsy Awareness Month, Paige’s Green Dream Walk will be held in memory of Paige Holland. Holland was a resident of Moorestown who passed away last October due to complications of epilepsy.
Holland was 17 years old at the time of her passing and maintained a close friendship with Robin Liebman’s daughter Alexandra Liebman, who is also 17 years old.
“They were really inseparable,” said Robin Liebman.
Tagging along with Alexandra Liebman was her younger sister, 12-year-old Kacie Liebman, who also befriended Holland through her older sister.
Following Holland’s untimely passing, Kacie Liebman asked her parents if she could start a walk to honor Holland’s memory. Completing her Mitzvoh, a selfless good deed, for her upcoming Bat Mitzvah, Robin Liebman said her daughter had considered doing another project, but immediately knew Paige’s Green Dream Walk was what she wanted to do.
Alexandra Liebman quickly began to help her sister, knowing that Holland had always talked of finding a cure for epilepsy.
“With Alex, it was only natural for her to help since she was so close with Paige,” Robin Liebman said.
Robin Liebman also said that she can recall many times when Holland had spoken of finding a cure for epilepsy and said that Paige “wanted to be a champion for those with epilepsy.”
“My sister and I feel so great,” Alexandra Liebman said. “ I feel like we’re living out her dream to the fullest.”
The Liebmans met with the Moorestown Police Department and Theresa Miller to secure their blessing.
In addition, a letter was also sent to the Moorestown Public School District Board of Education, since the walk was planned to begin and end at Moorestown High School.
After securing the blessing of both the schools and township officials, Robin Liebman said that she then reached out to the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey, the organization to which all proceeds from the walk will be donated.
Finally securing the permissions they needed, they then went to the Holland family.
“They were only happy to be part of the process,” Robin Liebman said.
With Holland’s parents and grandmother serving as active members on the official Paige’s Green Dream Committee, it was then time for the committee to find sponsors.
Robin Liebman explained that after sending letters, Paige’s Green Dream Walk received a number of sponsors, including Wegmans, which will be donating water bottles and bananas. In addition, Capital Health will also be supplying t-shirts for the event, which will be given to the first 300 registrants who donate more than $10 to the Paige’s Green Dream.
“The companies in the area have been very generous,” Robin Liebman said.
The walk will begin with an introduction, which will include a speech from both Alexandra Liebman and Kacie Liebman. Following the introduction will be a dedication ceremony for a bench, which will be permanently affixed to the front of Moorestown High School.
The walk will officially kick off with the playing of a Green Day song “Time of Your Life,” a song from Holland’s favorite band.
Robin Liebman said that the response from the community has been “heartfelt” with already 130 people registered for the walk. She said that by the day of the walk, she expects the total number of walkers to be approximately 300.
“I could think of nothing more meaningful to us,” Kacie Liebman said.
Alexandra Liebman also added that her hope for Paige’s Green Dream Walk is to not only raise money for the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey, but also give people a new perspective for those who are diagnosed with epilepsy.
Paige Holland’s mother, Kara Holland also released the following statement in regard to the walk:
“We are deeply grateful for the efforts of Paige’s friends, classmates, their families and the entire community in helping bring Paige’s Green Dream to life. Not everyone is born to become a noble laureate, but each one of us can make a difference in the world. Even if you make just one person a little happier each day, which is a day well lived. Paige understood that.