Grieving Mom Marks Anniversary of Daughter's Death with Random Acts of Kindness

LEMONT, IL — Amy Turner has been dreading Sept. 2, 2016.

The day marks the first anniversary of her daughter's death. Lexi Turner, 17, was fatally struck by a train while wearing earbuds and walking along tracks in downtown Lemont. Family said she often enjoyed the solitude of the track area, but with earbuds in, she couldn't hear the train coming. Her death was ruled an accident.

With the date looming, Turner found herself searching for ways to get through it. Then she had an idea: random acts of kindness in Lexi's honor. She is nudging friends and family to commit an act of kindness and share it on social media with the hashtag #RAKLexiTurner.

"I realized that I was only focusing on the negative, when so many positives could come from her passing," turner said. "The actions of family, friends, Lexi's school mates, local church members, and even complete strangers were truly awesome. Why not build on that as the cornerstone of dealing with the anniversary?

"The thought then came to mind of promoting a string of positive actions that would help others, all in Lexi's memory. Once I started down this path, my spirits lightened considerably. My focus is now on how much good we can create, knowing that Lexi is the force behind the efforts. I'm sure she will be much happier with this approach to mark our first year without her physical presence. I'm really hoping that everyone reading this right now, will join us."

Some have already started, Turner said.

"There are so many Random Acts of Kindness," she exclaimed. "...it's so amazing, the movement and ripple effect! I'm in awe!"

Turner kicked it off with her own contribution on Monday, August 29.

"Because I'm her mom, I'm doing one Random Act of Kindness every day, until Saturday," she wrote on Facebook. "Today at CVS, I paid for the lady behind me. She cried.

"Random Acts can can look like buying the cup of coffee for the next person in line at Starbucks or giving to a Go Fund Me account for someone you may or may not know," Turner said. "They don’t have to involve money and can be as simple as helping someone put away their groceries in their car, or even helping someone put groceries on the belt at the store."

Those interested in participating are encouraged to share their acts on social media using #RAKLexiTurner. Patch will compile the moments.

Learn More about Lexi:

• Lemont HS Grads Honor Classmate's Memory at Ceremony
• For Lexi: Mom Fills Late Daughter's Front Row Seat as Band's 'Number 1 Fan'
• Lemont Teen's Mom: 'My Heart Bubbled Over' at Community Support after Daughter's Death
• Lemont Teen Remembered as 'Brilliant, Funny' and a Good Friend

Photos Courtesy of Amy Turner

• Main: Lexi and Amy in the foreground; Lexi's sisters Morgan and Maddie in the background.
• Secondary: A poster promoting RAKLexiTurner. Sea turtles were Lexi's favorite animal.