ABOUT NELLIE PRATHER
Nellie was abruptly taken from this earth in March 2005, as a result of a tragic and fatal automobile accident.
While working as a childcare provider at Love and Learn Daycare Center, Nellie developed warm and loving relationships with many children. She had a special sensitivity for young girls and the way in which they perceived themselves and their role in life. Her encouragement and advice was always demonstrated through her concern and compassion for their overall well being. Nellie had one goal in mind, as she cared and provided for children on a daily basis. That goal was, to assist them in reaching their full potential.
Nellie maintained and nurtured a close relationship with, and an incredible love for God. She always credited Him for gifting her with a loving, caring spirit. Nellie aspired to one day open a daycare center of her own, where she could continue to inspire and positively influence the hearts and minds of children in her own special way.
Nellie had the unique ability to inspire and encourage those who did not believe in themselves. She lit a fire in the hearts of all who encountered her. Today, her legacy lives on through the Nellie Prather Foundation.
Rosemary Prather, Executive Director for the Nellie Prather Foundation speaks about the start and mission of the foundation.
Keepsakes
A poem by Nellie Prather
As I stand on the threshold of a different world,
I cherish the universe we built together.
I remember us through my keepsakes of you and me.
The box of our memories is immense.
I stand tip-toe atop the summit of the mountain of our aspirations-
Just to peek inside.
I rummage through reminders of our past.
Songs we sang leap from the box
And tickle my ears.
Laughter seeps through the crevices.
Surrounds me and warms my skin.
Meanwhile tears fall like cold, broken glass,
from a hole in the cardboard bottom.
Communal prayers hold the tattered box together.
I keep the souveniers,
Of the advice you offered (and I ignored)
Of the jokes I told you (you said weren't funny),
Of the obstacles we surmounted,
While hand in hand in hand
For me, these prove more tangible
Than the motionless images of photographs
Or the idle words of letters.
As I plan tomorrow, I celebrate our yesterday.
Til we meet again,
I remember us through keepsakes of you and me.
The Nellie Prather Foundations mission is to serve young women as a vehicle for learning and development through assistance programs, experiential education, instructional partnering, technology, counseling and mentoring.
