Our Mission: The goal of the Sheilah A. Doyle Foundation is to become the leading provider of college scholarships to students who lost a parent or legal guardian to murder. By joining in our mission, we believe we can give our applicants the confidence to become positive role models to others who have experienced similar tragedies.

Sheilah A. Doyle was a 40 year old nurse, wife, and mother of three, who dedicated her life to helping others. She was also my mom and the core of our family.  She was the kindest and most hard working person I have ever met.  During my junior year of high school at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, IL I remember talking to my mom about wanting to apply to the Journalism School at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA.  I loved to write and I was very excited about the possibility of attending a Big Ten school.  My mom told me that she would finish up her degree at the local college and go back to work full-time to help me with the funding of my tuition.  This conversation occurred during the summer of 1992, one year before she was murdered by two men who followed her home from work because they wanted the hood of her car.  After her passing, in July of 1993, I no longer had my mom or the financial assistance she and I talked about.  I was left to figure the situation out on my own.  Even though times were tough and I was devastated by her death, I was determined to apply to Iowa, get my journalism degree, and make her proud.  It was not easy, but with some help from my father and $60,000 in school loans I managed to graduate from the University of Iowa in December 1998.  

My motivation for starting this foundation was for two reasons: First, to help my mom live out her dream of helping my two sisters and I fund our college education, and second, to help others who have found themselves in the same situation I was in back in 1993.  When a parent's death is the result of a violent crime, the children they leave behind are faced with two very hard choices - let the crime affect them in the worst way possible or continue moving forward with their goals and dreams.  Fortunately for me, I was able to move forward from the hardship that was set before me.  It was not easy, but I knew that if I could take my negative energy and focus it in a positive way to better myself, everything would work out. 

Today, 16 years after the death of my mom, I find myself continuing to live out my dreams and know that she is with me every step of the way.  If this foundation can bring financial assistance to better the life of one child, then we have done our job!