‘She was the purest form of love I have ever known:’ First annual toy drive created in memory of friend who lived by giving

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - One of the few certainties of life is that we won’t always have it and we all wonder what our mark left on the world will be after we’re gone. And for one girl, friends and family are making sure that mark is a reflection of who she was.

“She just had an energy that I feel like just made the world a better place,” said Ashley Miller, organizer of Tessa Holt Memorial Toy Drive and friend of Tessa’s.

“She was the purest form of love I have ever known,” said Brooke Little, a friend of Tessa’s.

That girl was 21-year-old Tessa Holt, who was tragically killed in an accident in south Fargo this last summer. It left loved ones with a hole in their but a mission for the holidays, their first without her. With the first annual Tessa Holt Toy Drive.

“She loved giving and she loved kids,” said Miller. “And she understood the feeling of being a kid that didn’t always have a Christmas present, or didn’t always have what she wanted or what she needed.”

“She enjoyed helping people and that was her passion,” said Little. “For us to continue on and be able to give those kids those toys or just make them happy, she would love that. I know she’s jumping up there.”

Brooke and Ashley have never met, yet even one brief mention of Tessa leaves them all too familiar of the shared love of their friend.

“She would get super super excited she would jump and do this and do that with her hands,” motioned Little.

“It was so warming and just giggly. It was cute,” added Miller.

“It was cute,” laughed Little.

And even though Tessa is gone, the people she loved continue to spread her impact and solidify her mark on this world.

“You’re going to see the name,” said Miller. “You’re going to see the second, the fifth, the tenth annual, and you’ll continue to. It’s going to be something everyone remembers.”

“She definitley made an impact on my life and I know she made an impact on everybody else’s life as well,” said Little. “This is our first toy drive and I can’t wait to see our 65th toy drive. Gosh, that’d be amazing.”

If you’d like to donate you can make drop offs at Aggressive Towing at 2636 16th Ave. S. Moorhead, MN 56560. For more information you can find the Facebook group here or the flyer below.

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