Kate Childrey, who served our community as a JK assistant, passed away in April of 2017. Although Kate's time at St. Christopher's was short, her impact was immense, as she shared kindness everywhere she went on our campus. 

On Tuesday, Feb. 5, in Lower School chapel, Kate's family and friends celebrated her legacy of kindness by dedicating a "buddy bench" for the Lower School playground. The bench for our campus is one of many that will be donated every year by Kindness 4 Kate, a nonprofit organization formed in Kate's memory and in celebration of her life. 

Kate's brother, Thurston '03, spoke on behalf of the family, including Kate's father Bill '63 and Elizabeth, her mother. In his remarks, Thurston encouraged the boys to use the bench as a refuge of kindness—a place where anyone who might need a friend can sit and expect to be greeted by one. 

Thank you to the Childrey family for being with us today, and to Mr. Richard Nuckols who helped make the bench for our campus possible. We are grateful to you for sharing Kate with us during and after her life, which will continue through the random acts of kindness the buddy bench will encourage on our campus and on many others in the years to come. 

Read more about Kind Acts Touch Everyone on the organization's website and in a recent Richmond Times-Dispatch piece by Bill Lohmann.