RICHMOND, Va. -- A charity inspired by the tragic death of a local basketball coach is ready to make a fast break in the months ahead.
CBS 6 shared the story about the Michelle L. Rawlings Legacy Foundation in June of 2019. Created to be an organization that provides an outlet and resources to people in crisis, the foundation is named after a former assistant coach of the Atlee High School girls’ basketball team.
Rawlings was shot and killed inside her eastern Henrico apartment on New Year’s Eve 2018. Police said the gunman was her ex-boyfriend, who later killed himself.
March 16 would have been Rawlings’ 29th birthday and is also the birthday of her twin sister, Nicole.
“The only thing that has gotten easier is my ability to function,” said Rawlings. “To get through my days without crying or being depressed.”
Over the past three years, she and the rest of the family have worked to keep Michelle’s name alive and help others in the process.
Their foundation was certified as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, so the last couple of years have been challenging.
“With everything closing down, it kind of really put us at a halt,” Rawlings said. “So what we did for the last two years was continue to do drives, like, clothing drives for women and children in battered shelters.”
The foundation is currently planning its first in-person gathering since the pandemic and they are preparing to award their second scholarship.
You can learn more on the Michelle L. Rawlings Legacy Foundation’s Facebook page.
