Paula Anne Ford-Martin (Wordcrafts Founder) passed away on March 25, 2020, after more than five years enduring stage IV metastatic breast cancer (MBC). She never liked to call MBC a “battle” or a “war,” since that implies she had a chance of winning the unwinnable — beating an incurable disease. She passed peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones, just as she wished. 

Paula leaves behind four sons: Cas, Jasper, Chris, and John. All four men are members of the LGBTQA+ community. Paula fiercely advocated for them -- and all LGBTQ+ children -- until the end of her life, despite her illness. One of her primary wishes was to establish a scholarship fund for LGBTQ+ youth and their allies who demonstrate (1) outstanding commitment to LGBTQ+ advocacy, and (2) firm plans to pursue college, post-secondary education, or employment after graduation. The family started a crowdfunding campaign after her passing to kickstart the fund, which is still active today (in fact, you can donate right here!)

The resulting fund, matched dollar-for-dollar by Paula's family, has grown into an officially recognized public charity in the State of Connecticut with a federal 501(c)(3) status in the works. The Paula Ford-Martin Memorial Fund will begin awarding scholarships to high school seniors in 2021. In the meantime, we're working on a website to promote the organization, and strategizing on how we might still make a meaningful impact for LGBTQA+ youth during the COVID-19 epidemic. We'll update the Wordcrafts community through this page at least once a month.