ABOUT US

Our Mission for Gabi’s Wings Fundraiser & Ride Annual event is to raise funds  for Scholarship(s) to be awarded to a graduating High School Senior  that will be attending a 4 year college. With Preferences  given to a student  going into a Mental Health care field and that did Volunteer Work in their school and community. Funds are also raised for Suicide Prevention and awareness they go to the AFSP Walworth County Out of the Darkness Walk towards our Registered Team Gabi’s Wings. The funds stay in Wisconsin. This is in Gabriel “Gabi” Cullen Drays Memory We are a Non Profit 401 (3)(c) formed in May, 2022. 

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Now that we have that out of the way. Let me tell you about How we got started and how we came about. 

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Gabriel Cullen Dray, Liked to be called Gabi. She lived all her life in Beloit WI. She attended Beloit Turner Schools. Gabi excelled at everything she set out to do.  She filled her High School years with many AP classes. She was on the National Honor Society, Student Council and many other groups. She loved running Cross Country and once turning 16 she worked at Pizza hut, and became Kitchen manager. Gabi saved for college.  She had taken so many AP classes she started College with 8 credits. She knew early in her High School years that she wanted to go to college and Major in Social work and Minor in psychology. Gabi loved her Friends and Family. She always took the time no matter how busy to stop and pop in or visit with them. Many times she  would pick up her Siblings and Cousins and plan special days for them. Gabi always had that big beautiful smile that could light up a room..

 

Gabi did a lot of Volunteer work, She  loved giving back and helping others.  I  still use computer sheets Gabi put together for me along with others for benefits.  For 5 years she volunteered along with our entire family for the Alzheimer's walk while it was in Beloit. Gabi had her friends come a couple years and they even dressed up as the mascots. The Entire Dray Family Walked in the Pancreas Cancer walk for her Grandma who was fighting Pancreas Cancer, She sold 50/50 the entire time for her Uncle’s Benefit after he had his Car accident. Gabi walked in The Rock County Walk with her Aunt and cousins, Also The Paws for cause, Linkin celebration with her friends, volunteered at the Humane society,  Our Alzheimer's fundraisers we put on, and  countless others. She carried that onto college. She saw a fellow student struggling and she reached out to help him with his studies. She just had a heart of gold. Gabi toured a few colleges and decided George Williams College was the best fit. It was beautiful in William's bay along Lake Geneva. So she decided she would live in the dorms during the week.  She excelled at George Williams. She was making good friends. Good grades and even had made the Dean's list after finals. Sadly unknown to any of us, her depression was more than she could handle. After finals Gabi died by suicide on 12/10/2021. At Gabi’s Funeral it was packed. Standing room only and that just showed that she was loved so much. Her Parents and entire family just wish she would have spoken up, but she hid it so well. We did not know she was struggling. After reading  her college and high school papers we realized that College and Making a difference in the World was very important. That was her reason for choosing to study Social work.

 

We started planning and forming the 1st Gabi’s Wings Fundraiser & Ride. We applied for the non profit 501(3)(c) and it was approved in May 2022. By providing Scholarship(s) funds with preferences to a student going into a Mental Health field and doing volunteer work we are helping students enter a field so they can MAKE A DIFFERENCE.  With Suicide being one of the top ten causes of death in the United States we wanted to help raise funds for that. So we joined the Walworth County Out of the Darkness Walk that the AFSP has in Lake Geneva (near Gabi’s College) and formed the Team Gabi’s Wings.  Part of the money we raised goes to the AFSP and 2022 we ended up being the top team for the most money raised! The AFSP - American Foundation for Suicide Prevention does some great work!  If you are not familiar with them, please look them up. So we are MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN GABI’S MEMORY, something she could not finish. Without everyone's help this dream could not be possible. I hope you will join us for our annual fundraiser each year as we raise funds to support a deserving student(s) go to college and help bring awareness to people about Suicide! We need to speak up and break the stigma about Suicide!