The 214 Project began around Valentine’s Day of 2008 as a small idea and humble gesture to two close friends in a time of need.
On October 31, 2007, our friends, Josh and Angie Hughes, had their first child, Elliot. Elliot was diagnosed with esophageal atresia shortly after birth. Due to this diagnosis and needed treatments, he was hospitalized immediately. Through many complicated procedures and surgeries, Elliot fought hard. Sadly, on January 21, 2008 Elliot lost his brave battle.
We were deeply saddened at this loss and the emotional heartache that Josh and Angie were enduring. While we certainly had no experience in going through this kind of difficult situation, we wanted to let them know we cared. On top of the emotional struggle in which they found themselves, Josh and Angie were burdened with financial stress from months of hospital care. With this in mind, we had the original idea of foregoing a traditional Valentine’s dinner out. We decided that instead, we would take the money we would typically have spent on a nice meal at a restaurant and give it to Josh and Angie. Still feeling burdened for our friends, we decided to invite a group of friends over to our house on the weekend of Valentine’s Day with this simple plan. We would provide a nice meal and our friends were just to show up to share this dinner with us. They were invited to bring a monetary gift for Josh and Angie if they chose to do so. It was a special time and it was truly a blessing to be able to raise money as a way to help our dear friends during this incredibly difficult time in their lives. For us, this was the best Valentine’s Day we had spent together and it was the perfect expression of love and the true meaning of Valentine’s Day.
As 2008 drew to an end, our sister, Melissa, came up with the idea of making our Valentine's dinner an annual celebration. Shortly after this suggestion, another friend called and suggested forming a charity/organization in order to always remember and celebrate the life of Elliot Hughes. During the summer of 2009, this became a reality as The 214 Project received official recognition as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
As we go forward, The 214 Project has been created and exists to make an impact on our community through creating awareness of and raising money to benefit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. We encourage you to join us as we honor the memory of a special child, Elliot Hughes. Please contact us with any questions, concerns, ideas or to make a donation to The 214 Project.
