LA VISTA, Neb (KMTV) – “She loved pink, she loved a whole bunch of treats so we came up with something that was inspired by her and something she would have loved if she was here,” Emmy Darr, shop manager said.
- Karly Rain Wood passed away in 2022 after a shooting at a birthday party.
- April 16 should have been her 23rd birthday.
- Happy Mango Bakery designed treats inspired by her to raise money for headstone and memorial.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Inside Happy Mango Bakery neighbors will find the love isn't just in what's coming out of the oven, it comes from the employees.
Emmy Darr is one of those employees, and she wanted to do something to create a place where family and friends could go visit Karly Wood, a La Vista native who passed away in 2022.
“I just want to be able to talk to her again,” Darr said.
So, after working with managers at the bakery and Karly’s mom Amber wood, they decided to celebrate Karly’s birthday the month of April by selling boxes of treats decorated pink for Karly to raise money to get a headstone and memorial for her friends and family.
“She loved pink, she loved a whole bunch of treats so we came up with something that was inspired by her and something she would have loved if she was here,” Darr said.
According to Wood, she didn't know about Darr or the plans she had to get a headstone for her daughter and now knowing how many people are still honoring Karly means a lot to her.
“To see the people that she touched it just makes you feel awesome. talking about them or telling good stories about them or doing things in her honor, dressing in pink, getting glammed up all that stuff actually helps with grief,” Wood said.
Happy Mango Bakery started selling the boxes April 16, what would have been Karly’s 23rd birthday and is continuing through the rest of the month.
According to Wood things like this help honor her daughter and helps her continue to be an advocate to gun violence.
“Being able to do these things and shifting that grief and pushing it into something positive and winning these little battles in the war helps,” she said.
