Eric Johnson’s short life was filled with love and compassion for others. He had a profound effect on many people, including a homeless teenager he welcomed into his home and a Venezuelan family he helped while traveling in South America.
After Eric died in 2007, at the young age of 25, his brother Cory and his father Peter turned to Innovia for assistance in honoring him. Eric’s humility inspired his family, and they established the Eric M. Johnson Community Fund in 2010.
“We wanted a tangible way to carry on Eric’s legacy of love and service,” says Cory. “We want to create space through the grieving journey for family and friends to both remember Eric and carry on charitable works that reflect Eric’s passions and values.”
Cory, a teacher at Rogers High School in Spokane, encouraged others to contribute to the new fund to provide learning opportunities for high-risk youth and refugees. Students and refugees do not always have easy access to these opportunities, so providing them with the chance to learn can inspire them at times when life seems bleak and desperate.
Each year since the fund’s inception, distributions have been made that have positively impacted the lives of disadvantaged youth and refugees. “Eric would like that,” says Cory.