The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.
WGAL is sharing the story of another 8 Who Care Award winner. They are people who are being honored for their service to others.
A Lancaster County mother is honoring her late daughter’s passion for dance by providing scholarships to young dancers in need.
“She loved dance. Dance was her thing. She was obsessed with it. And as soon as she started dancing, she just never stopped,” Brooke Carlock said about her daughter, Libby.
Libby was only 6 years old when she was asked to join the competition team for Dance Dynamix, a studio in Lititz.
“She could bend like she had no skeleton. It was the weirdest thing. It was always her legs over her head and things that were in Cirque du Soleil. So, right away, the dance teachers were like, ‘Yeah, get this girl in dance,'” Carlock said.
Carlock said Libby was practicing for those first competitions when tragedy struck.
“It’s the worst news that I think anyone can receive,” she said.
On Feb. 9, 2022, Libby was heading home from dance class when the car she was in was hit by a truck in Lancaster County. She died instantly at the age of 10.
“The last memory I have is actually a beautiful one because I dropped her off at dance, and we had a routine of blowing each other a kiss. So, the last memory I have of her is her blowing me a kiss heading into the dance studio, which is such a great way to remember Libby,” Carlock said.
One way Carlock deals with her grief is through her YouTube videos in which she shares her journey and through the nonprofit Live Like Libby, which was started to keep her daughter’s love of dance alive.
“We wanted to find a way to honor her, and right away, we both went to dance. We just kind of knew that was the thing. When people think about Libby, they think about kindness, and they think about dance,” Carlock said.
Live Like Libby provides dance scholarships for dancers in financial need. One of them is Braedyn Jones, who was Libby’s friend and dance partner.
“I know she would want her legacy to live on in that way, and it helps a lot of people. It’s helped me and my sister and my family,” Jones said.
“We’re a very small studio, so each kid is like our kid,” said Jeni Hlubny, owner of Dance Dynamix.
The dance studio is still dealing with the loss. A memorial hangs on the wall.
In the days following Libby’s death, students wrote special tributes in chalk outside the studio, many with messages saying she will not be forgotten.
“We have her name embroidered on all of our team jackets, so when we go to competitions, she’s there with us,” Hlubny said.
The dance Libby was practicing before her death ends with her being lifted into the air. During the competition, dancers lifted their hands up to Libby in heaven instead.
“I love that thought that people are dancing for her and just keeping her in their heart because she’s worth it,” Carlock said.
Carlock said Libby’s solo the year before she died was choreographed to “Rainbow Connection,” so Carlock has always associated the rainbow with her daughter.
“She was one of those kids that everyone just loved because she radiated joy and kindness. If everyone lived like Libby, the world would be an amazing place,” Carlock said.
So far, Live Like Libby has awarded $38,000 worth of scholarships to help people keep dancing.
Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.
