Three years later, 'Orange Hearts for Makenzi' turns pain into purpose

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Turning pain into purpose. That’s what Seneca Ridley did when she started the organization ‘Orange Hearts for Makenzi,’ three years ago. 

It’s in honor of her daughter, Makenzi Ridley, who she was shot and killed in 2021 at the age of 17. On Saturday, the third annual 'Orange Hearts for Makenzi' scholarship dinner was held.

Seneca describes her daughter as a butterfly, a social girl who was always laughing. There’s not a day that goes by where she doesn’t think about Makenzi. After her death, she knew she needed to keep her legacy alive and do something in her honor. 

“We took something that was tragic and we made it triumph,” Seneca Ridley said. 

Makenzi was a young entrepreneur, which is why the ‘Orange Hearts for Makenzi’ foundation is designed to support young minority business owners in their endeavors. 

“I would give anything to have my daughter back. That's a fact. But this is a really good substitute to be able to just help fill that void a little bit, knowing that I'm helping her peers, helping other young adults to be outstanding citizens,” Seneca Ridley said.

Almost three years ago, and three weeks after her high school graduation, Makenzi Ridley was shot and killed. Dozens gathered Saturday afternoon to honor her. 

“It's emotional, it's fulfilling. I know it's done with purpose and I'm living in purpose right now,” Seneca Ridley said. 

Since the start of this program three years ago, 30 people have been awarded scholarships. And many of them said that everything they learned was invaluable.

“It made me want to do more entrepreneurship classes in the future,” scholarship recipient Kyndal Ladd said.

Nine people were awarded scholarships this year. To be eligible, honorees needed to be minority business owners, aged 15-23, with a commitment to serving diverse populations.

“I didn't really know the steps that would come with it and what I was going to have to do to actually  start it to get up and running but Ms. Seneca, she helped me with a lot of that,” fellow scholarship winner Amaya White said. 

They were also required to go through a six week training course, learning all the ins and outs of how to run a business.

“It gave me the opportunity to branch out,” scholarship recipient Ladaisha Battle said. 

Ladd, White and Battle are all business owners that do everything from cosmetology to baking. They said this scholarship will really help them grow their business. 

“I lost motivation then. I have a lot of support, so I just stopped. I got back into it," Battle said. "I had to motivate myself and this was a big part that helped me out, especially with the scholarship."