Listen to this interview on the Public School Podcast
RAPID CITY, SD – A Rapid City family is turning personal tragedy into a message of kindness that continues to impact students and the community.
Stacy Nehring, a parent of six children in Rapid City Area Schools, founded the Live Like Lily Foundation after the loss of her daughter, Lily, who passed away following her sixth grade year in a car accident. In the midst of grief, Nehring said her family found unexpected guidance in something Lily had written before her passing.
“She wrote an essay for her English class, and we didn’t even know she was writing it,” Nehring said, explaining the essay focused on kindness and doing good for others. That message became deeply meaningful to her family, and Nehring said, “We felt like that was her last letter to us and what she wanted us to do to continue her legacy.”
The Live Like Lily Foundation was created to carry that message forward by empowering youth through service. One of the foundation’s efforts includes providing dance scholarships to girls who may not otherwise have access, inspired by Lily’s own love of dance. Nehring said, “She was a dancer, so I thought, how cool would it be to give a scholarship to girls who can’t afford dance.”
Beyond scholarships, the foundation emphasizes the power of simple, everyday kindness. Nehring said small actions can have a lasting impact, noting that “compliments go a long way.” She shared a story about one of Lily’s classmates who reached out years later, explaining how those small moments of kindness made a difference during a difficult time.
“In sixth grade, I was so unsure of myself. I didn’t have a good self esteem, but those compliments helped me so much,” Nehring said, recalling the message. That same student carried the lesson forward, continuing to lift others up. “Now she’s in college and she’s still doing it,” Nehring said, adding that the student told her, “That’s how I’ve made my friends, is a simple compliment.”
Nehring said the experience is a reminder that people often underestimate the impact of their actions. “We never know how much these little things will affect people,” she said.
Through the foundation’s work and the stories shared by those impacted, Lily’s message continues to reach students across the community. For Nehring and her family, the mission remains clear: to encourage kindness, build connections, and ensure Lily’s legacy lives on through the actions of others.
