MANSFIELD, Texas — Yolanda Carson spent Tuesday afternoon setting up the most important event of her life.
It's been 10 years in the making after her daughter Jade Jiles' unexpected death. Carson and her husband set up a table and banner plus a donation table in the front entrance of Fish City Grill in Mansfield for their nonprofit, "When Jade Smiles."
"I learned more about her in her death than when she was alive," Carson said. "Jade was a beautiful person, a beautiful spirit inside and out. She was kind. She was always for the underdog, always willing to help someone who wasn't as fortunate as she was."
To keep Jiles' name alive, some of the proceeds from dinner guests at Fish City Grill are going toward the nonprofit.
"She was so kind. She was nice and she was really a good person to meet," Carson said. "Her smile literally lit up the room. She just had a way of making people feel seen and heard and very special. People would come up to me and say, 'wow, you're Jade's mom.'"
But on March 30, 2013, after Jiles rescued a friend's blind dog who ran into the street, a drunk driver hit and killed them both. Jiles' son Jacob was only 6 months old. Although too young to grieve his mother, Carson wanted to do something about others grieving their loved ones killed by drunk drivers.
"Just to let these children know we love them, we care about them," Carson said. "We send in the camp, there's a grief support camp."
When Jades Smiles not only offers financial assistance to hurting families, but the nonprofit also pays for grief counseling. The organization has even helped grief-stricken families pay their utility bills when they are in financial trouble because of funeral costs and other financial challenges.
As part of the 10-year anniversary, the nonprofit invites the public to its fundraiser at Tierra Verde Golf Club in Arlington to help even more people, especially teenagers. People who want to participate can sign up here.
"One out of 18 children will lose a parent by the time they graduate from high school," said Carson.
Unfortunately, some to drunk driving. In Texas, drunk driving crashes killed 1,029 people in 2021, and in 2022 that number rose to 1,162 DUI deaths. So, 10 years later, When Jade Smiles continues to help countless families get through the pain of losing loved ones.
"The world is a better place because she was in it," said Carson.