Founder and President
Amber Eidem
In 2007 I married the man of my dreams, Army Officer, Aaron J Eidem. We combined our homes and two years later added a baby to our now family of 5. In 2016, after multiple moves, several tours, and nearly 20 years in the service, my husband was killed stateside while providing safety to stranded civilians on the highway. Our world came crashing down that day, and I lived in a state of delusion for over a year. I knew my two children needed their mom and I knew Aaron would have wanted me to "stand tall and keep moving forward", which is something he'd always tell to me if anything would ever happened to him, so I did. Most programs for Surviving children age out at 18 years old, and my oldest daughter was 17 that year, and only experienced one retreat before 'aging out'. After applying for a "family retreat", and being rejected due to the loss being stateside, I knew something had to be done. Learning that there were many young adults that aged out, or didn't fit the criteria, before having a chance to build bonds with others like them, I started brainstorming. I created The Precious Legacy to bring together aged out surviving young adults, by any means of loss, so they can build lifelong friendships with others that "get it".
In 2007 I married the man of my dreams, Army Officer, Aaron J Eidem. We combined our homes and two years later added a baby to our now family of 5. In 2016, after multiple moves, several tours, and nearly 20 years in the service, my husband was killed stateside while providing safety to stranded civilians on the highway. Our world came crashing down that day, and I lived in a state of delusion for over a year. I knew my two children needed their mom and I knew Aaron would have wanted me to "stand tall and keep moving forward", which is something he'd always tell to me if anything would ever happened to him, so I did. Most programs for Surviving children age out at 18 years old, and my oldest daughter was 17 that year, and only experienced one retreat before 'aging out'. After applying for a "family retreat", and being rejected due to the loss being stateside, I knew something had to be done. Learning that there were many young adults that aged out, or didn't fit the criteria, before having a chance to build bonds with others like them, I started brainstorming. I created The Precious Legacy to bring together aged out surviving young adults, by any means of loss, so they can build lifelong friendships with others that "get it".
Vice President
Kathy Atkins
My name is Kathy Atkins. I have two boys that are Gold Star children. Their dad passed away while he was Active Duty Army. This loss has been very hard on our family. We are active in a few different organizations for children of fallen service members. In 2016 I took my boys to our first retreat in Branson, Missouri. While I was there I met Amber Eidem. Our friendship has grown over the years and our children have also become very good friends, and have a bond that is indescribable. Amber shared her vision with me of starting a non profit for Surviving young adults who were 18 and older, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. This is something that is needed due to there being little to no resources for aged out survivors. I was honored to be asked to be on the board and help out with The Precious Legacy. My hope is that the young adults that come to The Precious Legacy will find support and friendships that will help them throughout their grief journey.
My name is Kathy Atkins. I have two boys that are Gold Star children. Their dad passed away while he was Active Duty Army. This loss has been very hard on our family. We are active in a few different organizations for children of fallen service members. In 2016 I took my boys to our first retreat in Branson, Missouri. While I was there I met Amber Eidem. Our friendship has grown over the years and our children have also become very good friends, and have a bond that is indescribable. Amber shared her vision with me of starting a non profit for Surviving young adults who were 18 and older, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. This is something that is needed due to there being little to no resources for aged out survivors. I was honored to be asked to be on the board and help out with The Precious Legacy. My hope is that the young adults that come to The Precious Legacy will find support and friendships that will help them throughout their grief journey.
Treasurer
Dusty West
My name is Dusty West. I first got involved with The Precious Legacy when Amber reached out to me, knowing that I am a numbers guy, to look over and help with their budget. When she asked if I would be interested in joining the TPL Board as Treasurer I jumped at the opportunity. After attending a Gold Star event, I was able to see first hand how much of an impact these connections are for survivors, and I wanted to do what I could, as a civilian, to help make this a success. I am proud to have a chance to give back to our service members families and excited to work with TPL to honor the legacies of our fallen.
My name is Dusty West. I first got involved with The Precious Legacy when Amber reached out to me, knowing that I am a numbers guy, to look over and help with their budget. When she asked if I would be interested in joining the TPL Board as Treasurer I jumped at the opportunity. After attending a Gold Star event, I was able to see first hand how much of an impact these connections are for survivors, and I wanted to do what I could, as a civilian, to help make this a success. I am proud to have a chance to give back to our service members families and excited to work with TPL to honor the legacies of our fallen.
Secretary
Heaven Wadsworth
Marketing and Public Relations
Sandy Wilcox
Survivor Representative
Shae Hogan
My name is Shae. I am a survivor of a Gold Star family and have experienced firsthand the positive impact of a retreat with other military survivors. When I lost my dad, I had 'aged out' of most retreats and was lacking the opportunity to connect with people my age who could understand what I had, and still have to go through. The Precious Legacy gave me that chance and now I have many long lasting friendships from the retreats I've attended. Now, I want to give back to the young adults who will attend these retreats. I am extremely excited to be a representative for other young adult survivors and help them build long lasting bonds.
My name is Shae. I am a survivor of a Gold Star family and have experienced firsthand the positive impact of a retreat with other military survivors. When I lost my dad, I had 'aged out' of most retreats and was lacking the opportunity to connect with people my age who could understand what I had, and still have to go through. The Precious Legacy gave me that chance and now I have many long lasting friendships from the retreats I've attended. Now, I want to give back to the young adults who will attend these retreats. I am extremely excited to be a representative for other young adult survivors and help them build long lasting bonds.
