The Williams family
June 29th, 2010 | By: Fred Nystrom
“You don’t heal from the loss of a loved one because time passes. You heal because of what you do with the time.”
It really is just the blink of an eye, a tiny fraction of a second, during which a life can be lost and a family changed forever. For the Williams family of Sammamish, that moment came on January 21, 2002, when Josh, their athletic and affable 16-year-old son, died in a snowboarding accident.
The Williams family; Anna, Phil, Debbie and Bizzy
For parents Phil and Debbie Williams and their daughters Bizzy and Anna, the months following Josh’s death were like living in slow motion. They gathered together in their shared grief and went through the motions of life. School went on for the girls, appointments were kept by the parents, and other mileposts of the passing year were noted.
Eventually the family came to the point in their shared recovery that they could face the “new normal” for them. At the urging of friends, the Williams embraced the concept behind a short and simple quote they were given: “You don’t heal from the loss of a loved one because time passes. You heal because of what you do with the time.”
At the encouragement of friends, they held a golf tournament at The Plateau Club as a gathering of friends and Josh’s classmates to simply celebrate being together and the sweetness of being alive. As Debbie puts it, “We did not want sadness; we wanted to celebrate life and community.” From this small, personal gathering, the four Williamses began to see the potential to help other people and organizations in the community and to continue their own healing.
In short order, the Joshua P. Williams Foundation was formed as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with the goal of supporting kids, families, and the community by providing financial support and scholarships for youths. In July 2003, the first celebrity golf tournament was held at The Plateau Club. As Phil Williams explained, “Even if the tournament only makes one dollar, but everyone has a great time, then our family will consider it a success.” Neighbor and NFL punter Jeff Feagles helped to bring in celebrities so that each group of four players was joined by a celebrity, such as Jay Buhner, Norm Charlton, or Nesby Glasgow. Following the day of golfing came a night of great dining and an auction to help raise funds.
Debbie explains, “As a family we required that 100 percent of the money raised go back into community organizations that Josh was or would have been involved with, so we selected the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County, Athletes for Kids, Young Life, Friends of Youth, and have since added Camp Sambica.”
Now, seven years later, the golf tournament is a huge success and continues to be, at its heart, a gathering of friends. In 2009, 16 of Josh’s friends played in the tournament for the first time after years of volunteering as helpers. The foundation has raised more than $1.2 million to designated charities in addition to 14 academic scholarships to local high school seniors who are entering college.
Debbie adds, “This event and the money raised was never thought of by us as a sole tribute to our son. So we do not promote Josh’s name where the money is donated. But we do require that each organization provide us with a detailed report of how the money was used, and these reports are given back to all of our supporters each year.”
While the healing process following the death of a loved one is never over, Phil, Debbie, Bizzy, and Anna demonstrate the power and impact of getting up after you have been knocked down and finding a way to give back. Their entire family is whole, healthy, and able to reach out to help others who have lost a child and show that even intensely personal losses are survivable.
The annual tournament will be held on Tuesday, July 13, at The Plateau Club. For information on playing or becoming a corporate sponsor, visit www.jpwfoundation.com.
