Parents of the late Emily Shane re-purpose Valentine’s Day as an occasion for altruism.
By Michael Aushenker / Special to The Malibu Times
Michel Shane thought of the idea the very day his daughter, 13-year-old Emily Shane, died after being struck by a vehicle in April 2010. This Valentine’s Day, he hopes to see his Malibu neighbors help him rededicate the holiday as “Pass It Forward Day,” an opportunity to perform good deeds for others.
To inaugurate Pass It Forward Day, a lunchtime event will be held at Malibu High on Feb. 14. The goal: to create the world’s biggest purple human heart formed by participants wearing purple clothing.
“It was Emily’s favorite color,” Shane said.
Shane and his wife, Ellen, are promoting Pass It Forward Day after enduring a difficult period in late January when the trial of Sina Khankhanian, the man who fatally struck Emily while she walked along PCH, ended in a hung jury. (A re-trial is pending.)
“It’s a day of selflessness,” Shane said of his Pass It Forward initiative. “…It was inspired by a little town in Wisconsin where the mayor challenged the community to do 1,000 good deeds in a month.”
Since Emily’s passing, nearly 12,000 messages have been left at emilyshane.org, with posts such as “I volunteered at an animal shelter,” “I made food with my mom for poor people” and “I wrote two letters to the soldiers.” One young girl confessed that Emily’s death made her re-evaluate her entire image and abandon the “stoners” at school for a more positive circle of friends.
Shane said he and his wife have been touched by the way people have responded in honor of Emily’s memory. In fact, they learned a few things about their daughter’s character following her passing.
“Emily was a regular 13-year-old,” her father said, “but she was someone who was very sympathetic. She hated to see a kid eating alone at lunch or lost in the hallway. She always wanted to lend a helping hand.
“Later, we learned that other kids used to go to her with their problems and she always had a lending ear. When Emily died, we were given this view of the type of person she was ŠWe never had an idea that she was this empathetic.”
Despite the inspiration for Pass It Forward Day, Shane insists that the goal is to create an occasion to help others.
“It doesn’t have to be tied to Emily,” he said.
Longtime Malibu residents, the Shanes want to start out local with their endeavor.
“We’re doing it this year in Malibu,” Shane said, “and maybe next year, a few other communities will join on board and maybe build from there.” He hopes to see Pass It Forward Day go national one day.
“It’s a way for everybody in our community to show caring and compassion and kindness to other people,” said Ellen Shane. “I want every person, young and old, to do something for someone else.”
Since their family tragedy, the Shanes have drawn much strength from their community.
“Without sounding corny, I am indebted to the people of Malibu,” Michel Shane said last week. “We just spent two weeks in this murder trial. People came every day. They put their lives on hold and really were just there for us. We just couldn’t believe it. We don’t know how we could have gotten through it without that support.”
To help spread goodwill, the Shanes have set up the Emily Shane Foundation.
“Our foundation,” he continued, “is in the process of putting together a pilot program in both Malibu and Santa Monica to pay for tutoring for kids with processing issues…which is what Emily had.”
However, he added, there is a hitch…
“Every time they get a lesson, they have to do a good deed.”