Written by Jenni Newbury Ross, PALS Co-Founder and Executive Director
Dobbie Kristoff with her brother, Howard.
The PALS family is deeply saddened by the loss of a beloved member of our community, Dobbie Kristoff. Along with her identical twin sister, Dobbie co-founded The Howard Fund initiative at PALS, catalyzing a multigenerational bond between her family and our organization. The great-aunt of PALS Executive Board member Garrett Snider, Dobbie was most proud of her role as sister to Howard, who had Down syndrome. It was this sibling connection that first led the Snider family to PALS Programs.
As a sibling of someone with Down syndrome, I grew up with a unique perspective. I learned about disability not by seeing difference in my brother but by seeing a reaction from the world. I had the simple privilege of growing up alongside Jason, learning to see through his eyes. Together we faced challenges and celebrated accomplishments, and through it all, his life changed mine.
“Uncle Howard was part of our legacy and he bound all of us in such a deep love...We always felt so content because with Howard we felt like we had everything…Each day is a gift.”
Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to meet many other siblings in the PALS community - other folks who grew up transformed by their siblings and eager to share these gifts with the world. We became family, instantly, united by a desire to make the world a better place for our brothers and sisters.
Dobbie with her great niece, Lily Snider.
Two of the most memorable siblings I’ve ever met were Myrna Snider Thomas and Dobbie Kristoff. I first met Myrna and Dobbie right after they had lost their brother, Howard, who had Down syndrome. Howard was born in 1946, at a time when the world for those with Down syndrome often included deep discrimination, low expectations, and institutionalization. And yet, Howard lived an incredible life, leaving a mark not only on his family, but throughout his community and through every person he met. Myrna and Dobbie saw a bit of Howard’s spirit when they first came to visit Camp PALS, and began building a legacy for Howard through the creation of The Howard Fund. This fund, established as a part of PALS Programs, would support the capacity building of PALS as well as provide funding to those families needing financial assistance to join our programs.
In 2014, at the PALS 10 Year Anniversary Gala, Myrna and Dobbie joined their family with ours to celebrate this gift, and the impact Howard would continue to make through PALS Programs. Their dedication to their brother was captivating, and their commitment to changing the world by connecting people with and without Down syndrome was inspiring. These two powerful women carried Howard’s joy and passion for life through every interaction, and across multiple generations of the Snider Family.
Dobbie with her husband, Jim Kristoff.
This investment in PALS infrastructure launched our growth as an organization. In the past 6 years we’ve added 10 new summer programs across the country, and increased our impact by over 250%, largely due to their support. Perhaps even more poignantly, Myrna and Dobbie have passed Howard’s legacy to the youngest generation of the Snider Family, as many of the cousins have joined PALS for multiple years as volunteers at our programs.
A few months after the celebration in 2014, Myrna passed away. Dobbie united around her family to deepen this impact, and continued to carry both Howard and Myrna’s legacy in her efforts to support PALS. Today, her journey ended and she has reunited with Myrna and Howard again.
We join The Snider Family in mourning this tremendous loss of a generation of siblings that believed the world could and should be a better place. As Dobbie wrote just recently to her nephew, Garrett Snider (PALS Board Member), “Uncle Howard was part of our legacy and he bound all of us in such a deep love...We always felt so content because with Howard we felt like we had everything…Each day is a gift.”
As a sibling, I am humbled and challenged to carry on the work that Myrna and Dobbie believed in: to build a world that celebrates the life and value of every person in the way their family learned to celebrate life through Uncle Howard. And as the Executive Director of this organization, I’m reminded of the importance of our mission to inspire belonging - to bring people together through shared experiences and transform lives.
To learn more about The Howard Fund, visit http://www.palsprograms.org/howard.