One year ago on Friday, a tragic accident took the life of five-year-old Milly Zellmer on the north side of Pella.

Over the past three-and-a-half weeks, people from local communities and across the state and beyond have been celebrating her memory through kindness. Kristi Zellmer says the family has been overwhelmed by the response to Milly Moments.

The family decided to honor her life by asking friends, family, and the rest of the community to perform acts of kindness for others from January 24th — Milly’s birthday, to February 16th, the day Milly died.

Those who participated were asked to leave cards behind to share about Milly’s story and to post on a Facebook page to keep momentum going for the next act of kindness. The result was hundreds of dollars in charitable giving, donations of more than a hundred books to classrooms and children, dozens of meals and drinks paid for by others, and the sharing of other special moments of kindness in Marion County and far beyond. The event kicked off with hundreds of residents wearing pink — Milly’s favorite color, to remember her life.

Find Milly Moments online here, and tune into Let’s Talk Pella Monday to hear more from the Zellmer family.