Pink vanilla cotton candy with sprinkles. Rainbow unicorns painted on little faces. Glittering crosses on arms, cartwheels on a tumble track, and hearts painted in every color imaginable inside an art bus.
It was a birthday celebration any little girl would have loved — and especially Hadley Hanna, who was happy, cheerful, and her parents’ rainbow baby.
Hundreds of Park Cities residents joined the Hanna family in Smith Park on Feb. 13 to celebrate what would have been Hadley’s ninth birthday. The crowd included her classmates and teachers, friends and neighbors, families who had also lost children in the flooding, and the Hannas’ entire block.
Hadley was one of six Park Cities girls who lost their lives on July 4 during the catastrophic flooding at Camp Mystic.
“All I want is for her to be remembered and celebrated,” her mother, Carrie, said. “She loved everyone, and she loved a birthday. I want kids to have a good time.”
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The day had been difficult for the Hanna family. That morning, they had finally buried Hadley at Sparkman/Hillcrest — something they were unable to do at the time of her service because her death certificate was unsigned.
“I just wanted to honor and celebrate her,” Carrie said, “and I figured why not go big?”
With help from Kristin Butler, owner of planning service Fabulous Fête, that was exactly what they did.
The celebration of life fundraiser featured a DJ, crafts, a raffle, a photo booth, and tables of treats. Rainbows appeared everywhere — on balloons, hats, shirts, and cheerful stuffed animals that smiled up from the merchandise table. Fabulous Fête donated its services to organize the event, with all proceeds benefiting Hugs From Hadley, the foundation that honors the little girl’s caring and jubilant spirit.
For children like 6-year-old Emmy Kirchstein, the celebration was pure joy. “It’s fun,” she said after a face painter decorated her forehead with a sparkly unicorn.
Emmy will attend camp for the first time this summer. Her aunt, Suzanne Steinmetz, expressed gratitude for the work the Hannas and other families who lost children in the flooding are doing to make camps safer.
“They’re so brave,” she said. “It amazes me how strong they both are in turning this tragedy into something beneficial and helpful for everyone.”
The Hanna family are givers, said Kim Banuelos, principal of University Park Elementary, where Hadley was a student. Carrie has even continued serving this year on the board of the school’s parent-teacher association. Now the community is reaching out to support the Hannas in return.
“The parents here love their friends’ kids the same way they love their own kids,” Banuelos said. “People are not just here for themselves and their own family. They genuinely care about everybody else’s family too. And you don’t see that everywhere.”
Hadley would have loved her celebration — the bright colors, the tumble track, the art bus, the sparkly key chains — remarked Mary Lawrence, mother of a third grader at University Park Elementary.
“Our family loves the Hanna family,” she said. “They’re very near and dear to our family. We will do anything to support them and continue to support them.”
