Teacher promotes foundation for fallen Glendale officer

Anthony Holly embodied giving. He served in the U.S. Air Force, volunteered with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, coached baseball on his military base and gave back to the community by becoming a police officer.

On Feb. 19, Holly gave the last thing he could — his life. He was gunned down while assisting another officer at a traffic stop in Glendale. Holly was 24 years old.

The grieving may never stop, but remembering Holly and what he stood for just might help. It has been more than seven months since Holly died, but there are people who are working hard to make sure that Holly’s legacy lives on.

In April, the Anthony Holly Foundation was founded to continue Holly’s service to help raise funds to support activities, organizations and facilities that encourage young people to live joyous and meaningful lives and in turn, encourage them to improve their families, communities and their futures.

Holly’s mother Nancy Bonner said the foundation has been growing since its inception and that many donations have gone back to organizations he worked with, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters.

“It’s a way to keep Tony’s memory alive,” Bonner said. “It’s somewhere to put my grief.”

The foundation embodies who Holly was, his mother said.

“He started volunteering while he was in high school and joined the Air Force at a young age,” she said. “He used to stop and play football or baseball with the kids in his beat.”

Rob Gilmore, a special education teacher at Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, where Holly attended, has been touched by Holly’s dedication to giving and he is now dedicating his efforts to promote Holly’s Foundation.

Bonner couldn’t be happier that someone is out there helping her spread the word.

“It’s such an honor,” she said. “He never even knew Tony, but he is willing to help us.”

Gilmore knows a little bit about foundations and the dramatic effects they can have on a community. He has spent the past few years working with the Pat Tillman Foundation engineering Pat’s Run, a road race dedicated to remembering Tillman and giving back to the community.

While he will continue his work with the Tillman Foundation, Gilmore will run his six marathon this October and is dedicating his effort to Holly and the promotion of the foundation.

“Like a lot of people, I could sit back and wait for something to happen and then give money, but I grew impatient,” he said. “Instead I did something.”

“Somebody needs to bring light on this foundation,” Gilmore said. “There is a sense of hopelessness after death, but this gives people a chance to hope.”

Running is new to Gilmore. Years ago he had ballooned in weight and got fed up with how he felt, where his health was heading and his life in general. He started working out and said that “at first I could only run down the road nine houses before stopping.”

Gilmore has shed a significant amount of weight and has found a passion in running, something he said allows people to dedicate an effort and reflect on a cause.

More than 14,000 people turned out to run Pat’s Run in Tempe this year, and Gilmore hopes that Holly’s foundation may someday get that kind of response.

“We have a chance to show that Anthony is still making an impact in this world,” Gilmore said. “There is nothing more paramount in this community than to step up and say we are going to help this foundation.”

To learn about the Anthony Holly Foundation, visit www.anthonyhollyfoundation.org or call 623-377-5125.