This Wednesday, May 13, will be the first annual Pascal Weisberger Day of Service, a tribute to one of the Keys’ really good people who lost his life last week to a violent tragedy.
Treasure Village Montessori Charter School (TVM) in Islamorada announced a Keyswide day of service in remembrance of Pascal Weisberger, his kindness, his service and his love of community and environment.
Weisberger, 14, was a TVM Sea Dragon, a Boy Scout and an all-around good citizen and community member. His legacy lies in his unwavering love for and service to others.
TVM Principal Kelly Mangel told The Weekly, “Pascal was unlike any other person. He was dedicated to his community and was often found at the animal shelter, cleaning a beach, serving at the soup kitchen, stocking the food bank, etc. He never did so out of obligation; it was because he genuinely cared for his community and the people within it.”
Scouting friend Kathleen Pegues said, “Pascal was an angel that was walking on earth. I told him many times that he was the kindest person I had ever met. It was my pleasure to have met such a gentle child.”
Pegues remembered Weisberger as being constantly concerned about the animals. He’d always ask about people’s pets’ health or give people advice on how to better protect the animals, Pegues said.
“Animals were his favorite thing to talk about,” she said. “He knows every pet in every family in the Keys. He used to ask, ‘Hey, Miss Kathy, how is Jelly Bean? How is your parrot?’”
Weisberger’s love for all things included the Keys community he called home as well as the animals and the environment he strove to protect.
“He connected to people on a level that is unexplainable,” Mangel said. “He saw people as human beings worthy of his attention. He never discriminated by wealth, color or culture. People were people, and they were important.”
In a heartfelt video message on Facebook announcing the Day of Service tribute, Mangel said, “In honor of this love and his desire to give back to his community, Treasure Village will be having a day of service … Wednesday. All teachers will be canceling virtual classes. Instead, we’re asking you as families do what you can to give back to your community.”
Mangel challenged TVM students and community members to “get creative” and find ways to do something good for our neighborhoods and the environment. Celebrating Pascal by giving back to people and our community seemed like the best way to honor him and what he stood for, Mangel told the Weekly.
She urged everyone, “Clean up the shoreline, help with yard work, draw inspirational messages with chalk, anything and everything. Let’s light Facebook up with the positive and show the world what an inspiration Pascal was. TVM’s first Pascal Weisberger Day Of Service!”
Several community beach clean-ups, a favorite activity of Pascal’s, have already been organized on Facebook, and TVM will host a community blood drive.
Mangel asked participants to post photos “so we can all celebrate him” and to use the hashtag “#PascalsWay” to flood the islands with positivity and kindness, as Weisberger always did.
After this inaugural event, TVM will repeat the event annually on Weisberger’s birthday “to celebrate the person that he was and the opportunity we had to meet him,” Mangel said.
Tearful, Mangel concluded, “We loved him, and we will continue to love him, and we will continue to show him he’s made a difference in our lives by the changes we make to better ourselves and the efforts we go through to make our community better.”
For more information and to post your day of service photos in tribute to Weisberger, visit the Facebook event page.
Kelly Mangel’s message to her Sea Dragon family announcing the tribute:
