Mass. Fallen Heroes providing for those who 'live that sacrifice'

MALDEN, Mass. — Kayleigh Hayes, 21, beamed as she took ownership of her new car.

“It means so much to have all the support from everyone here,” Hayes told a crowd Wednesday.

Massachusetts Fallen Heroes and their partners were behind this shiny new gift.

The group is behind an effort to award refurbished cars to gold star families -- men, women and children whose relative has died in the line of duty.

Kayleigh's father died in Iraq in 2003 when she was just 7-years-old.

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“I think a lot of people forget that there are folks in our society like Kayleigh that have lived that sacrifice,” explained Dan Magoon, with Mass. Fallen Heroes. “It's all about the future generation, so we need to make sure they have a safe future. Because that's what he provided for me, so that's what I want to provide to other people."

Kayleigh works as a mentor at a Boy's and Girls Club and makes supervised visits for the children, sometimes shuttling them in her car. Having reliable transportation will go a long way toward her work.  She says that work is part of her father's legacy.

“He kind of inspired me to push forward, pay forward and make an impact on those around me,” she said.

At Mass Fallen Heroes, they say it's stories like these that inspire them.

“Hopefully we can continue to grow this program and get more vehicles over time. If it was up to us, we'd buy a vehicle for every family.”

To learn how you can help, visit the website: www.massfallenheroes.org.

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Cox Media Group