In response to the passing of a fellow teammate and close friend, sophomore Katie Jackson who attends John Burroughs, began selling infinity bracelets online in honor of JD and donating the proceeds to the Westminster swim team.

“I knew JD a really long time ago. He was always really quiet but we became friends and he was the kindest person I’ve ever met,” said Jackson.

“We talked about seeing each other at the conference meet, which took place one week after he passed away. I was really looking forward to seeing him and although he couldn’t physically be there he was there in spirit. When I started selling the bracelets, I didn’t expect anyone from St. Louis to see it. I just sold them on Instagram to people who didn’t know JD, but were still kind enough to want to make a donation.”

“A few people from Westminster found out about them and then it spread by word of mouth. It’s been a huge success, we’ve raised over $400 for the Westminster swim team. The bracelets have been sold in 6 different continents, and people all over the world will never forget JD. God has clearly worked through many individuals to shed light on the situation by blessing people with the ability to respond to this tragedy in a constructive way and to make wonderful things happen from something so unfortunate.”

Lauren Bauer, sophomore, also made bracelets in honor of JD and placed them in every student’s locker as a sign of memory. Her goal in doing this was to give every student a chance to have something to remember JD by and to have a constant reminder of the impact he made on the Westminster community.

“I think JD impacted the Westminster community by his complete devotion to God. He was not one to follow the crowd or break under pier pressure. His faith was strong and he shed the light of Jesus on everyone he knew,” said Bauer.