Brian Heil
In 2013, I stood on a roadway two miles from my house staring at the wreckage of what once was my daughter's car. With the muddled comprehension you can imagine someone in my situation would have, I said to myself: a.) Shannon is going to need a lot of care; I'm in. Orb.) Shannon has gone to heaven and guess what? I'm in. Nothing I could do could change what had happened, but what I could change is how I responded. Up to this point I had so many Pastors say to me.. "give it to God!" any challenge or adversity.. "give it to God!" so I made a choice standing on that roadway.. to just give it to God!
A year later, determined to not let sadness sink into the hearts of the many people who love Shannon, I started a Pay-it-Forward campaign called Share For Shannon, challenging people to take the negativity of the moment and do something positive in Shannon's name. Today, I am proud to say, Share For Shannon has evolved into a global Pay It Forward movement.
Six years ago my life was changed forever. Today I am proud of where that changehas lead me and the lives that have been forever altered because of one kind, compassionate, audacious 18 year old – my fierce daughter Shannon Heil.
My name is Brian Heil, I am the Father and Founder of the Fierce For Shannon Foundation. Our foundation invests scholarships and grants into young peoples lives who embody the same attributes that Shannon had and reminds the world the impact created by simple acts of kindness. I made a choice that day to honor the love and life of my daughter by taking my tragic moment and making it something amazingly beautiful.
Inspire and Invest in Humanity. It's what Shannon did every day and what the foundation will continue to do in her memory.
Brian has spoken at colleges and universities, film festivals, churches and Christian music events such as Soulfest and ConnectFest.
His documentary – Fueling Fierce: The Shannon Heil Story has appeared in over 22 film festivals internationally and won numerous awards including Most Inspirational and Best of Fest.
In 2013, I stood on a roadway two miles from my house staring at the wreckage of what once was my daughter's car. With the muddled comprehension you can imagine someone in my situation would have, I said to myself: a.) Shannon is going to need a lot of care; I'm in. Orb.) Shannon has gone to heaven and guess what? I'm in. Nothing I could do could change what had happened, but what I could change is how I responded. Up to this point I had so many Pastors say to me.. "give it to God!" any challenge or adversity.. "give it to God!" so I made a choice standing on that roadway.. to just give it to God!
A year later, determined to not let sadness sink into the hearts of the many people who love Shannon, I started a Pay-it-Forward campaign called Share For Shannon, challenging people to take the negativity of the moment and do something positive in Shannon's name. Today, I am proud to say, Share For Shannon has evolved into a global Pay It Forward movement.
Six years ago my life was changed forever. Today I am proud of where that changehas lead me and the lives that have been forever altered because of one kind, compassionate, audacious 18 year old – my fierce daughter Shannon Heil.
My name is Brian Heil, I am the Father and Founder of the Fierce For Shannon Foundation. Our foundation invests scholarships and grants into young peoples lives who embody the same attributes that Shannon had and reminds the world the impact created by simple acts of kindness. I made a choice that day to honor the love and life of my daughter by taking my tragic moment and making it something amazingly beautiful.
Inspire and Invest in Humanity. It's what Shannon did every day and what the foundation will continue to do in her memory.
Brian has spoken at colleges and universities, film festivals, churches and Christian music events such as Soulfest and ConnectFest.
His documentary – Fueling Fierce: The Shannon Heil Story has appeared in over 22 film festivals internationally and won numerous awards including Most Inspirational and Best of Fest.
