Through her loss, widow discovers a silver lining

By LISA LOSASSO BELL

Special to The Vindicator

FORMAL INVITATION: Cathy Murray, right, is inviting area high school girls to check out the prom gowns she’s collected and hopes to sell for $10 each. Her mission is to help girls obtain prom dresses they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford during these tough economic times. She intends to give the proceeds from the sale to The Silver Lining Fund, which helped her family during her late husband’s battle with cancer. With Cathy are, kneeling, her daughter Rebecca and her granddaughter Sasha, and, in back, her daughter Rachel.

She’s reselling prom gowns to raise funds for the organization that helped her family during a difficult time.

YOUNGSTOWN — Cathy Murray of Youngstown, who recently lost her husband, Tom, to cancer, has made it a mission to give back to the community organization that helped her family during his illness.

She and Tom were married 31 years, and their two daughters are Rebecca, 30, of Cleveland, and Rachel, 24, of Youngstown.

For the first four years of Tom’s illness, the Murray family received a great deal of help and support from family members and friends.

Through some research, Murray’s sister-in-law, Carole Gray, who works in the health care industry, found out about The Silver Lining Fund, which is operated by a group of health care professionals and volunteers to provide financial help to area residents who are diagnosed with cancer.

Murray said the fund helped financially on a monthly basis, at a time when things were especially difficult.

“They helped us for approximately two years,” she said. “My husband was a proud man and had a difficult time accepting help.” As the disease progressed, her husband had to stop working, which, she said, made it a bit easier for him to accept help for his family.

“It was a godsend,” she said. Before he died, her husband requested that any donations in his memory be given to The Silver Lining Fund. His biggest wish was to find a way to give back to the fund so that it would continue to help people in need, she said.

How she’s giving back

“Our girls were his life, and his granddaughter meant the world to him, so we’ve always had a penchant for girly things … and we’ve had many prom dresses in this house.”

Those gowns — and others Murray has collected — are providing a way for her to not only give something back to The Silver Lining Fund, but to also provide area high school girls with prom dresses they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford during these tough economic times.

“There are so many dresses that are still hanging in closets and will never be used again,” she said.

Murray explained that what her family has been through has made her want to do something, not only to help others, but also to honor her husband’s life.

She will be selling the dresses from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Dominic’s Parish Center, located at 3403 Southern Blvd.

Murray began speaking with friends in February about the idea of collecting and selling prom dresses. The dresses she’s collected in that short time already fill a bathroom and a closet, and are overflowing into a bedroom.

“We still have time to get the word out and hopefully get some more dresses in time for prom, which is usually between late April and early May,” she said.

“We’ll take whatever people are willing to give,” she said. “Girls like all different styles, and they come in all sizes. There are some girls who wouldn’t have a gown at all … I can’t fathom how sad it would have been if we couldn’t afford to provide our own daughters with gowns. Fortunately, at that time we could. Their father was so pleased.”

Additional items

Murray said she is also seeking donations of a number of prom-related items for drawings.

So far she has received 30 coupons for 20 percent off at Shoe Carnival, a gift card from Giant Eagle, a corsage and boutonniere from Wild Flower Cove, a $50 gift certificate from Casal’s De Spa and Salon, four new dresses from Dillard’s and dress-alterations services from Simply Stitches.

She’s still hoping to find a local beauty salon that will donate a prom hairstyle, a local nail salon to donate a manicure or a set of nails, and possibly Cedar Point tickets or after-prom event tickets.

“These are pretty lofty wishes,” she said. “But, there’s no harm in trying, and there’s always next year.”

For more information or to donate dresses or services, call Murray at (330) 792-0430.

About Silver Lining

Murray said help from The Silver Lining Fund is available to residents of Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Mercer and Lawrence counties who qualify. They can obtain more information about the fund through their social workers and physicians.

Qualified residents are required to fill out an application, which is then reviewed by the board. Checks are then disbursed based on need and available funding.

“They’re very discrete about handling everything,” she said.

The fund assists with expenses such as drugs and medical costs, transportation costs to medical facilities and other household expenses.

Maiden mission

This is Murray’s first attempt at fundraising. Her goal, with the help of her friends, is to sell 50 dresses at $10 each to raise $500 for The Silver Lining Fund.

“So many businesses are failing and even charities are having a hard time … and that concerns me. If everyone just did a little… just something … Wouldn’t the world be a better place?”