Sydney Breyer Foundation

The Sydney Breyer Foundation has been established in memory of Sydney Claire Breyer by her family. Sydney was born May 4, 1997 in Springboro, OH. She attended Springboro public schools through junior high and transferred to Archbishop Alter for high school where she graduated in 2015. She attended University of Mount Union that fall for just 6 short weeks before she passed away unexpectedly on October 7th, 2015.

Sydney had a zest for life and a willingness to try just about anything. Although she didn't consider herself a "sporty girl" she tried her hand at gymnastics, soccer, tennis, softball, track & field and swim team. But her real love involved music, dance and anything that allowed her to perform for an audience. She began taking dance lessons when she was 3, playing violin beginning 5th grade, performing in musical theatre starting 7th grade, and her most recent love, color guard, which she embraced beginning her junior year in high school.

Outside of school and "organized" group activities, Sydney was passionate about helping people. We believe her light shown the brightest through her relationships, one-on-one, to people who needed a friend. She was attracted to the lonely, the lost, and the suffering. She wanted people to know that they matter and, as such, was a vocal advocate for mental health awareness. In her own words, Sydney wanted "to make a difference in the world, one person at a time". That is her true success story.

Through the generous donations of many friends and family members, a scholarship at the University of Mount Union has been fully endowed. The Sydney Breyer Compassion Award supports a female student who emulates Sydney’s thoughtful, selfless, positive nature. We met the very first scholarship recipient in May of 2019. Due to additional generous donations made in memory of Sydney to support the building of Alter's new arts wing, there is a star placed on a wall outside the theatre at Alter High School and a seat inside the theatre both bearing her name. Another large donation was made to name a nursery at Brigid's Path in Dayton Ohio. Brigid's Path provides inpatient medical care for drug-exposed newborns, non-judgemental support for mothers, and education services to improve family outcomes. Sydney was a champion of second chances and we believe this aligns perfectly with her desire to make a difference in the world, one person at a time. Finally, we have decided to fund a music therapy program specific to the behavioral health unit at Dayton Children's Hospital. It is our largest endeavor to date, but one that we whole-heartedly believe Sydney would champion if she were still here today. The Sydney Breyer Foundation will continue to support a variety of scholarships, mental health awareness organizations, performing arts groups, organizations looking to improve health sciences, and any other non-profit group that best reflects Sydney's interests. We hope this Foundation will perpetuate her memory, promote her values and capture her giving spirit.