The Finley Forever Foundation held its 3rd annual Lights and Ladders Brigade earlier this month, with firefighters and volunteers helping set up holiday decorations at the homes of families affected by cancer, said Lacey Bracken, Finley’s mom and president of the foundation.
Bracken said her daughter, Finley Bracken, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at age 2 in October 2019. Finley died Sept. 11, 2020, just a few weeks before her third birthday, Bracken said.
For the 2019 Christmas season, which ended up being Finley’s last Christmas, Bracken said her family members came over to decorate their house for Finley as she battled cancer.
She established the Finley Forever Foundation, a nonprofit that offers hope, support and financial assistance to Chicago area families affected by cancer, in 2021, and the idea for the Lights and Ladders Brigade came from her family.
“It was so special to us that they made us do that and she was able to experience that, so it’s kind of like a whole ball of emotions when you see it unfold for someone else,” Bracken said. “I think it’s great, and then you have those sad feelings too, where it’s like this might be their last Christmas but you’re happy that you’re making such a huge memory for them to remember.”
The foundation held several Lights and Ladders Brigade events this year. On Dec. 2, it was in Chicago and surrounding areas, including Oak Lawn; Dec. 9, in Lemont, Mokena, Frankfort, New Lenox and Manhattan; Nov. 29 in Romeoville; and Dec. 3 in Joliet, she said.
When selecting which homes to decorate, Bracken said the foundation considers families it has helped and partners with organizations such as The Tom Hopkins Foundation, Christmas Without Cancer and Project Fire Buddies to connect with more families affected by cancer. Bracken and a friend go over the design of the decorations for each house and then share the plans with the firefighters and volunteers, she said.
The families keep the decorations, which are donated, and receive a financial gift that can go toward whatever the families need, Bracken said. This year, Santa Claus stopped at the homes the foundation visited Dec. 2 and Dec. 9 to give gifts to the children, she said.
“There’s a lot of emotions,” Bracken said. “Once everything is going up and you see the smiles of the families’ faces, the kids are so excited when the firetrucks pull up, it’s very heartwarming.”
The Finley Forever Foundation included its own firetruck and ambulance this year, both decommissioned and donated by the Romeoville Fire Department, for the Lights and Ladders Brigade. Image360, a Mokena-based company, wrapped both vehicles with the foundation’s colors and logo, Bracken said.
Jon Osborne, owner of Image360, said it took about six weeks to complete the firetruck. The ambulance process moved quicker, he said, because the design was already approved when they did the firetruck.
“People loved seeing this wrap. The kids love to get in there and check out a real fire engine,” Osborne said. “It’s a piece they will be able to use for years and years.”
Finley would have loved the Lights and Ladders Brigade event, Bracken said.
“We just want to keep her memory alive and just do things in honor of her because she really did change our lives and I know she’s changed a lot of people’s lives,” Bracken said. “I think she’s made a big difference.”