Warming our hearts with just his smile, many members of the horse show community and beyond have followed the story of Stone Pope who was born with four congenital heart defects. His parents, Conway, South Carolina horse trainer, Shane and wife, Holt had generously shared their journey from the beginning primarily via social media.

With Stone’s sudden passing at 17-months-old on February 3, the Popes have seen their extended family, the horse show community, bond together to raise funds and pay tribute to the little man who had an incredible impact.

” I’m not sure where to begin about all the amazing things that people have done for us,” says Holt Pope. ” I told someone the other day that the horse show community is a lot of things but it is a family. A dysfunctional family at times… but a family. This could be no more apparent than when Stone passed away. We’ve received hundreds of cards, flowers, sentiments and messages, phone calls and texts.”

In an effort to assist the family with both financial and moral support, several people within the horse show community have gotten together to raise funds.”

“Some donate to the American Heart Association, some to the Heart Ball, some to our church and a lot of people have given to the Heart of Stone Fund,” Holt explains.

The Heart of Stone fundraising campaign kicked off at the Ohio Quarter Horse Association’s annual banquet where Shane Watson auctioned off a stuffed giraffe and a stall to the Buckeye Classic with hopes of raising $1,000 to jump start the fund. Between trainers, families, individuals and different Ohio associations, over $15,000 was pledged to the Pope family.

Kristin and Chris Martin and Certified Images of Canal Winchester, Ohio generously donated the logo for the fund and set up the whole website and store portion of the site. Here, anyone who wants to donate can purchase t-shirts, hats and hoodies to pay tribute to Stone. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to directly to the Pope family.

Courtney Brockmueller, of Whitesboro, Texas, has been instrumental in preparing all the orders for printing and shipping. After the orders are tabulated, Brockmueller sends the orders to Just Stitch It, Monica Mathison and team, for screening and stitching. After the weekly orders are completed, Brockmueller picks up the orders to ship out.

“Our mission with the Heart of Stone Fund was to allow people to be a part of supporting and loving the Popes by having an item to wear that symbolizes Stone and his family,” Brockmueller explains. “We have had strong support from across the nation. We all look forward to seeing the Heart of Stone being worn proudly at shows across the country for years to come.”

Although the fund was started as a way for the Pope family to pay bills and expenses during their time of need, Shane and Holt have now decided to start the Heart of Stone Foundation with the money.

“This foundation will allow us to show support to local heart families as well as provide donations to the American Heart Association as well as the Medical University of South Carolina’s Pediatric Cardiology Unit and the Children’s Heart programs, all in Stone’s name,” Holt explains.

Because of the people that donated to the Stone Pope Medical Fund in 2013, Holt and Shane were fortunate to be able to relocate to Charleston during Stone’s open heart surgery and recovery. Other families however are not as lucky.

“Something I will never forget about being down at the Medical University is the lack of parents in these units,” Holt says. “Some parents aren’t financially able to be with their child during this process.”

The mission of the Pope family’s Heart of Stone Foundation is to help these families in need.

“Whether it is a night in a nearby hotel or a nice dinner in Charleston, those things go further than you can imagine for a parent who is emotionally and physically drained from the stresses of living in the hospital with a child during and after an open heart surgery,” Holt says. “I’ll never forget being in the hospital in the Pediatric Cardiology Intensive Care Unit with Stone and getting a basket with a crochet hat, blanket and other items that became such reminders to this day of our journey. It is my hope that the Heart of Stone Foundation can bring that to these families in need. With this foundation, I will always be able to share Stone’s story and how he touched thousands around the world, all while making a difference in the lives of fellow heart families.”

Besides donating to the fund, individual members of the horse show community, like runner Jennifer Kyle of San Rafael, California have shown their support by fundraising money for the American Heart Association. Her first full marathon run this July at the San Francisco Marathon will be in honor of Stone Pope and the Pope family. To date over $1,000 has been raised for the American Heart Association.

“The Pope Family has shown so much grace and positivity during an event that is so devastating,” Kyle says. “I was very touched by the Pope family’s grace in the face of their tragedy. They have continued to march on, spreading the word and raising awareness. I also think their strength in character in appreciating the time that they did have with Stone, instead of being angry about the time they lost, is respectable and amazing.”

Also at the 2015 Little Futurity this June in Raleigh, North Carolina, a new Western Pleasure class will be added in Stone’s memory.

“The entry fee for Stone’s class is $100 plus, which means you can pay $100 or more to show in the class and all proceeds go to the Popes for the Heart of Stone Foundation,” says Gale Little. “The class will be judged and placed but all the exhibitors will be winners by participating.”

The National Snaffle Bit Association will donate a trophy for the class.

“Stone’s smile is etched in our hearts forever,” says Little. “What a wonderful way to honor Stone and the Pope family by having a class that will contribute to the Heart of Stone Foundation. The strength and faith that Holt and Shane and the Pope family have is an inspiration to all of us. Having this class is a way of showing our continued love and support for this wonderful family.”

To make donations visit www.HeartOfStoneFund.com. To help Jennifer Kyle raise funds for the event visit www.crowdrise.com/HeartofStone.