In the find-the-perfect-gift chaos of the holidays, I had a hard time coming up with something my brother really needs. Then, it hit me: the thing I want him to have more than anything is memories of our dad who died when Dane was just two years old. For the past 12 years, Dane’s grown from a toddler asking why daddy hasn’t come home from the hospital to a high-school freshman — all without the rich memories I was so lucky to form in my own 11 years.

Initially, I was going to give Dane a journal of memories for Christmas, but instead, I decided to focus on creating something much more meaningful in time for his birthday.

And so, I contacted people who knew my dad in different capacities, asking them to share a memory, fact about him, thing that makes them think of him, description of the person he was, photo, video, etc. From all of these crowdsourced moments, this website was born where a new celebration of my dad’s life will be shared each day.