Celebrating 20 Years of the Judy Lynn Wright Memorial Fund

Ask an eight-year-old what they wish for the world, and you’ll probably hear some wonderful answers.

More recess. Ice cream for every meal. A puppy. Maybe even for everyone to be kind to one another.

Children have a beautiful way of believing they can make the world better. 

Judy Lynn Wright was just eight years old when her life was tragically cut short. Though she didn’t have the chance to grow up, her kindness and the love her family carries for her have continued to make the world a little better.

Twenty years ago, Linda and Todd Fulmer created the Judy Lynn Wright Memorial Fund at the Watertown Area Community Foundation. Established in 2006, it became the Foundation’s first donor advised fund, turning the memory of one little girl into a lasting legacy of hope and opportunity for children and families throughout our community.

Today, as the fund marks its 20th anniversary, it stands as a testament to how one family’s love can continue changing lives for generations.

 

Remembering Judy

Judy Lynn Wright was born on February 12, 1959, in Rockford, Illinois, to Bill and Linda Wright. She shared her childhood with her siblings, Steve, Laurie, and Lisa.

Family memories describe Judy as a bright, happy child who loved music and reading. She attended Church of Christ Sunday School, participated in a Brownie troop, and even appeared on the television program Nancy’s Romper Room.

Photos from family albums show a little girl full of curiosity and smiles: riding her spring horse, playing records with her sister, spending time outdoors with family, and laughing with her cousins.

One memory of Judy especially stayed with her mother. Years later, Linda recalled Judy sitting in a rocking chair in the family living room, singing along to her favorite group, The Monkees, playing on the stereo. 

While Judy’s father, Bill, remembers her every day through cherished mementos, including a tiny pink baby shoe and a handwritten Valentine’s Day card from Judy.

In April 1967, at just eight years old, Judy died unexpectedly from a ruptured appendix. Though her life was brief, the memories she created never faded.

 

Turning Grief into Good

Nearly forty years after Judy’s passing, Linda and her husband Todd Fulmer sought a meaningful way to honor her memory. They established the Judy Lynn Wright Memorial Fund at the Watertown Area Community Foundation. The fund was created with a simple but powerful purpose: to help children.

As Linda wrote in her own words: “We love and miss her every day and wish to honor her memory by establishing this fund to help children.”

The couple chose a donor advised fund because it would allow them to remain actively involved in recommending grants while creating a charitable legacy that could continue long into the future.

For Todd, the fund also became a deeply personal tradition. Since establishing it, birthdays, Christmases, anniversaries, and other special occasions have often been marked with a gift to Judy’s fund. Each contribution became a way to celebrate Judy’s life while honoring the woman who loved her first, Linda. 

Their decision also became an important milestone for the Watertown Area Community Foundation. The Judy Lynn Wright Memorial Fund was the Foundation’s first donor advised fund, helping demonstrate a new way for families to organize and sustain their charitable giving.

 

Twenty Years of Impact

 

For twenty years, the Judy Lynn Wright Memorial Fund has transformed remembrance into opportunity. Because of the generosity and vision of Linda and Todd Fulmer, children throughout our community have benefited from grants that reflect Judy’s memory and her family’s commitment to helping young people thrive.

Since the fund was established in 2006, more than $25,000 has been granted to organizations that support children and families in meaningful ways.

Some of those grants have helped meet immediate needs. Through the Watertown School District Needy School Fund, school social workers have been able to assist students and families with essentials so children can come to school ready to learn.

Other grants have provided hope and stability during difficult times. The fund has supported CASA, helping advocate for children involved in the court system, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace, ensuring children have a safe, comfortable bed to call their own.

Each grant tells the same story. A child receiving the support they need. A family finding a helping hand. A community honoring the memory of a little girl by making life better for children she never had the chance to meet.

Twenty years after its creation, the Judy Lynn Wright Memorial Fund continues to do exactly what Linda and Todd hoped it would do: help children, one grant at a time.

Children have a beautiful way of believing they can make the world better. Judy still is.