Nearly two years after the untimely death of Julian King, his aunt and mother, Jennifer and Julia Hudson, could be privately nursing their grief at his passing. Instead, they’ve channeled their sorrow into helping other children through the Julian D. King Gift Foundation. This month, the foundation holds its second annual toy drive, an idea that came to fruition when the sisters wanted to honor King’s memory by giving to less-fortunate children and promoting positive experiences for children of all backgrounds. “We started with Christmas,” Jennifer says. “We’ve always had a holiday, but we knew kids who didn’t. It made us want to give more and remember our family in a very positive way.”
The success of last year’s toy drive—the event garnered around 4,000 gifts, which went to more than 600 children—led the pair to commemorate King’s memory on another one of his favorite occasions: the first day of school. On August 14, on what would have been King’s 10th birthday, the sisters held the first annual “Hatch Day” celebration, a made-up occasion coined by King himself, to mark his birthday and, because he loved school, to make sure other children have what they need to start the school year off right. “He would make invitations and pass them out,” says Jennifer. “He wanted everyone to celebrate,” adds Julia, “[but] we don’t necessarily know what ‘Hatch Day’ means.”
For the event, held at De La Salle Institute in conjunction with Walmart and Weight Watchers, the sisters handed out school supplies to 2,000 kids in kindergarten to 12th grade. The day was bittersweet for the Hudson family, but brought them a certain kind of peace. “It was a healing process,” Jennifer says. “It gave us something to look forward to.”
In November, the Foundation kicked off its second annual toy drive. Partnering with television network WGN, the drive collects toys for children in need. Folks can bring toys to several drop-off points, many of which offer a deal for donations. Sure, the incentives are a nice bonus; but it’s all designed to bring more joy to children during the holidays. On December 20, Jennifer will appear on WGN’s Morning News to formally collect the donations, which will be distributed on Christmas Eve.
Supporting children is a cause that the sisters plan to continue—these two events are just the beginning. “What we would like to do, overall, is have something each season,” says Jennifer, noting that they’d like to take their events across the country as well. Fundraising for the Julian D. King Gift Foundation also comes through Jennifer’s recently opened weight-loss clinic in Hyde Park, The Weight Watchers Jennifer Hudson Center, which donates a portion of its funds to the organization.
Seeing not only Jennifer and Julia’s, but King’s dreams come to life in a Hatch Day or toy drive is enough to bring a tear to anyone’s eye, but is especially near and dear to the family’s heart. “It’s been amazing to see his name live on and to see so many kids be blessed from it,” Jennifer says. “To turn [this tragedy] into a positive [thing], there are almost no words to express that joy. We turned something that was almost impossible into a possibility.”
Get involved with the Julian D. King Gift Foundation by e-mailing juliandkinggiftfoundation@yahoo.com.
