The Millie Moo Foundation in Hillsdale has officially launched with a mission to provide hope and financial support to families facing pediatric cancer while also offering scholarships to students pursuing agricultural careers.

The foundation was created in loving memory of Millie DeClercq, a beautiful little girl diagnosed with a rare pediatric cancer at just five months old. Millie’s courage and the community that surrounded her family inspired something lasting – a foundation that turns heartbreak into purpose.

“My brother and sister-in-law, Wesley and Gabriella, showed extraordinary strength through the unimaginable loss of their daughter,” said Laura Cary, president of The Millie Moo Foundation. “Together, we wanted to create something that carries Millie’s name forward in hope – to help families walking the same hard road and to support young people in agriculture, just like the roots our family was raised on.”

As founding directors, Wesley and Gabriella DeClercq continue to share their daughter’s story through acts of kindness, community events, and scholarships that inspire others to grow, give, and make a difference in the world of agriculture.

Coming from a multi-generation agricultural family in Northwestern Illinois, the DeClercqs have deep ties to rural life and a passion for supporting those who work and study in the ag industry. The foundation’s agricultural scholarship reflects those roots and honors Millie’s legacy by helping future ag leaders plant their own seeds of hope.

Millie’s Light Lives On Program provides financial relief to families experiencing pediatric cancer, reminding them they are not alone.

The Millie Moo Agricultural Scholarship is awarded annually to high school seniors pursuing degrees in agriculture or related fields that reflect Millie’s rural roots and the foundation’s family heritage.

Community events include blood drives, golf outings, and “Hope on the Farm” gatherings that bring families, friends, and supporters together to raise funds and awareness.

“The smallest lives can leave the biggest legacies,” said Wesley DeClercq, Millie’s father. “Every act of kindness done in her name helps another family – and that’s what Millie’s story is all about.”

Visit www.themilliemoofoundation.org or follow Hope On The Farm: The Millie Moo Story on Facebook for updates and upcoming events.