AKRON, Ohio — Lissy Garland always wanted to help others.  

What You Need To Know

  • Lissy's Legacy of Love is a nonprofit organization that provides gifts to children impacted by addiction

  • Through donations they were able to provide more than 50 children with Christmas gifts

  • The organization is now collecting items to make Easter baskets for 100 children in Summit County

The 26-year-old had dreams of being a neonatal nurse and taking care of newborn babies. 

Unfortunately, her battle with heroin put an end to that dream. 

Elizabeth Metheney is Garland's mother. She said her daughter's battle with addiction began with prescription pills. 

“She unfortunately had fallen in with the wrong crowd after graduation,” Metheney said. 

Garland's addiction put a strain on not only her health but caused her family an immense amount of heartache and stress. 

"She had lots of ups and downs," Metheney said. "She was in several different rehab facilities (and) different halfway houses she was in jail for a while.’ 

Metheney said she would plead with judges to get her daughter put in jail, and said it was one of the only places she knew her daughter was safe. 

“I didn’t have to worry that night," Metheney said. "Wonder if this is the night she is going to be gone?” 

Garland found out she was pregnant while she was in a treatment facility. 

“She was very excited," Metheney explained. "From the very moment she knew, she was elated.” 

Garland told her mother she remained clean throughout her entire pregnancy, but her sobriety didn't last long.

Garland relapsed and died of an overdose in April of 2020, her son was just two months old at the time. 

Now Metheney, along with Garland's aunt, Emmy Cancel, are helping other children affected by addiction through their nonprofit "Lissy's Legacy of Love."

“I just felt like we needed to do something in her memory and kind of put that grief into action," Cancel said. "This is what Lissy wanted to do: She wanted to help people. We had so many conversations about her plans for the future.”

The organization provides children of all ages who have been impacted by addiction with gifts during the holidays. They were able to provide more than 50 children with Christmas presents this past year. 

"I think it was 14 of the kids we helped out, out of the 51, had a parent who died (in) the past 18 months of a drug overdose."

Now, they are working to provide 100 children with Easter baskets and counting on community donations to make it happen.

One way they are collecting items is through donation boxes set up around Summit County. 

 “We have amazing people in our community," Cancel said. "They really step up if there is a need. If we say we need Easter grass or Easter baskets, they jump right in and help."

If you would like to donate, to help provide gifts to the children you can join "Lissy’s Legacy of Love” Facebook group.