Bright Lights, Lasting Legacies: Honoring Lucy Dillon and Katherine Ferruzzo
On July 4, 2025, Village residents Lucy Dillon (camper) and Katherine Ferruzzo (counselor) tragically lost their lives. In an effort to carry their legacies forward, their families have created foundations in their honor.
The Katherine Ferruzzo Legacy Foundation
The Katherine Ferruzzo Legacy Foundation was established to honor Katherine’s life and mission. Katherine’s fierce and loving spirit lives on through the Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting special needs children and the special education community. To date, they have distributed reimbursement checks totaling over $10,000 to more than 35 special education teachers in SBISD. This was to reimburse them for classroom supplies they had purchased out of their own pockets to better the lives of their students. They’ve also purchased materials for sensory task boxes to be used in APPLE (Autism Program Preparing Learners for Excellence) and Life Skills classrooms in the district.
They are excited to have been adopted as a philanthropy partner for the Memorial chapter of the National Charity League. Together, they will be creating errorless learning folders to be used in all SBISD APPLE and Life Skills classrooms.
To learn more about Katherine's foundation, make a donation, or support its mission, visit katherineferruzzo.org and follow them on Instagram @livelikekatherineferruzzo.
Bright Like Lucy Foundation
The Bright Like Lucy Foundation was created in honor of 8-year-old Lucy Dillon. Bright beyond her years, Lucy brought immeasurable joy to her parents, Brandt and Lisa, and sister Charley, plus all those who had the privilege of knowing her. A strong leader, determined to be successful, she embraced every challenge and never quit, no matter how difficult the challenge was. A fierce competitor and brilliant student, she excelled both in athletics and academics. She was a friend to all, had a gift for compassion, lifted up others during failures, and routinely cheered for the underdog. She will be missed dearly, and her family is determined to make sure her Light continues to Shine Bright in our lives and the lives of the people her fund touches.
Bright Like Lucy focuses on STEM programs, athletic improvement, college and athletic scholarships, and animal welfare. Brandt and Lisa are humbled and forever grateful to the community for their support during this unthinkable time. Donations thus far have been used to sponsor a space-themed STEAM night at Memorial Drive Elementary (MDE), sponsor a basketball player who otherwise would not be able to play, build out the science lab at MDE, and fund college scholarships through the Spring Branch Educational Foundation (SBEF). It is an honor that the science lab, Bright Like Lucy Lab, was recently voted by SBISD to be named in Lucy’s honor at MDE.
To learn more about Lucy’s foundation, make a donation or purchase merchandise to support its mission, visit BrightLikeLucy.org, and follow them on Instagram @BrightLikeLucy.