Four-year-old Hudson Foschi’s uncle described his late nephew as “larger than life.”
“He lived every day knowing he was going to soak up and absorb everything life had to give him,” said Daniel Danbusky of Roslyn.
Hudson, who lived in Virginia Beach, died Jan. 8 after being struck by a vehicle in front of his home.
Residents of Virginia Beach placed blue ribbons on their mailboxes in his memory. But Hudson’s hometown isn’t the only place that has honored him since.
With relatives across the country, including those in Roslyn, many communities are initiating fund-raising efforts for the Hudson Strong Foundation, which the boy’s parents started in his honor, Danbusky said.
On Friday night, John Kim hosted a poker night at his Roslyn home to raise funds for the foundation, whose goal is to double the size of Hudson’s preschool playground. It eventually may also fund scholarships for the school, Danbusky said.
Kim and Danbusky have daughters who play basketball together.
“My kids are 11 and 6, so to be hearing about a tragic accident like this happening to a family member…it just made sense for me to do something about it,” Kim said.
Kim, who manages a real estate team powered by Charles Rutenberg Realty, said he likes to leverage his business connections to support causes, particularly those benefiting children.
When he learned that a business partner’s daughter was going through cancer, he directed his community to support the family’s GoFundMe page to help with medical bills, he said.
His poker fund-raiser for the Hudson Strong Foundation was intended to raise awareness about child safety in addition to supporting a local family, Kim said.
Around 40 people turned up, Danbusky said.
“We, in general, have been kind of overwhelmed with the support that we have received,” he said. “Hudson was with us for a very short window of time and people he never even met are kind of rallying the troops and recognizing that there is a family that is going through a terrible tragedy right now.”
His daughter, Riley Danbusky, is planning to raise money with her Girl Scout troop for a marker in Gerry Pond Park in Hudson’s honor, he said.
And Hudson’s immediate family in Virginia Beach has been receiving meals from the community ever since the day he died, Danbusky said.
“Seeing that level of community and that level of support – it lacks here, particularly in the Northeast,” he said. “It makes me feel better that his family is being taken care of that way, and it’s a subtle reminder for people that life is short. Life is precious. Be as kind as you can, and that’s really the message of the foundation.”
