'Fanta was kind': Family of Fanta Bility honors her memory by handing out backpacks to families
SHARON HILL, Pa. - Backpacks are known for carrying markers, pencils and notepads. But, there are special ones that will carry the spirit of Fanta Bility, who was known for her generosity. Her family is giving some 300 backpacks to deserving families, in Fanta’s honor.
"I miss Fanta. I love Fanta forever," Fanta’s mother, Tenneh Kromah, said.
It’s been two years since the death of Fanta Bility. She died after she was struck by gunfire from police, responding to an active shooting at a Sharon Hill football game, one of those bullets striking and killing Fanta.
The three officers initially charged in the investigation reached a plea agreement and were fired from the police department.
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Meanwhile, Fanta’s family tries to move forward in life, while still honoring her memory. The Fanta Bility Foundation will be the catalyst of those efforts and on a hot summer day in August, Fanta’s family handed out hundreds of backpacks to children.
"Fanta was kind. She used to give things to a friend, you know?" Tenneh explained. "She used to give every day. Somebody who used to give something to anybody."
The bags and school supplies will find deserving homes and will always carry the goodness of Fanta with them. Something her mother greatly misses. "Sometimes when I think of Fanta, I can be so sad."
Family members choosing to move forward and make an impact in honor of a young girl who was taken too soon.
"It was God willing. Can’t do nothing about it, it is what it is," family member Mariam Sanoe said. "The best we can do is move forward as a family and make sure this does not happen with any other family again."