Reagan, Toby, Lisa and Makenzie pose for a photo while on vacation. Credit: Courtesy of Lisa McCrary-Tokes
The community will come together with the family of Reagan Tokes this Thursday to celebrate her life while advocating for policy changes, educating attendees and promoting safety and self defense.
The second-annual Rally for Reagan event will feature speakers from the community including lawmakers, law enforcement as well as members of Reagan’s family and will raise money for the Reagan Delaney Tokes Memorial Foundation .
“We have an incredible, supportive network of faith and family that have transitioned on this terrible journey with us,” Lisa McCrary-Tokes, Reagan’s mother, said. “Just the support and willingness of them to be by our sides and pull this together through the event and what not has been incredible.”
The first event last year garnered enough money that $50,000 was donated to Ohio State University for a second scholarship to be awarded in Tokes’ name.
The two scholarships awarded by Ohio State via the foundation are in addition to the multiple scholarships that are awarded in Tokes’ name at her church and high school.
“Reagan was a very good student and she was so grateful and appreciative that she had the opportunity to have a college education and to be able to go to school and she knew that’s not something everybody has the ability to do,” Lisa said. “Looking at and reading and seeing the recommendation letters and the things these students that applied have done philanthropically and to give back to their community was quite humbling.”
In addition to raising money, the event will act as a way to raise awareness for policy changes that could have helped prevent the tragedy that lead to Reagan’s death.
Namely the Reagan Tokes Act will be talked about with Ohio state Sen. Kevin Bacon and Rep. Kristin Boggs listed as speakers.
Another large part of the event is the promotion of safety and self defense for young women with trainer Rob Fletcher offering a course at the event.
Lisa said Fletcher reached out to offer his services and bring a self-defense aspect to the efforts of the foundation. Fletcher teaches a high-intensity interval workout routine that includes self-defense techniques, this way the techniques will be committed to muscle memory. Lisa said she had a special interest in self-defense training as she herself is a professional trainer.
“His program really resonated with me because of the fact that it is a workout program,” Lisa said. “The muscle memory aspect, to prevent you from potentially going into the typical response when your in a fearful position, because you haven’t done something over and over and over.”
The Tokes family will be in town for the event and will also help Ohio State unveil a memorial on campus in Reagan’s name.
“Ultimately at the end of the day it comes from a place of love,” Lisa said. “It’s through love that you find your faith in the first place, it is through love that we have a family and a beautiful daughter that is still here and our incredible Reagan.”
The Rally for Reagan will be held at Eagle Pavilion Fryer Park in Grove City from 7 to 9 p.m. and is free to attend, but those in attendance are encouraged to donate to the Reagan Delaney Tokes Memorial Foundation
