Volunteers restore Habitat for Humanity homes in memory of Adam Colosimo

Friday, Jul. 24, 2015

OREM — Storm clouds gathered and rain fell, but it did not damper the spirit of the 110 volunteers who put in 550 hours to restore two Habitat for Humanity homes in Orem July 10-11 in honor of Adam Colosimo, a Juan Diego Catholic High School student who died three years ago. 

Family, friends and classmates volunteered their time and talent to the Adam Colosimo Foundation to paint, build a fence, build cupboards and shelves, lay sod, and whatever else was needed to help two families become homeowners. 

The Adam Colosimo Foundation began with a Facebook page that kept many inquirers informed about his condition following his accident. After his death, the family wanted to do something more to honor him, so they started the foundation. 

The volunteer turnout for the Habitat for Humanity restoration was a great tribute to Larry, Jean and Gina Colosimo, Adam’s parents and sister, said Nancy Colosimo Gibbs, Adam’s aunt, as she spoke to the volunteers during a rain break July 10. 

“Adam was an amazing, compassionate, humble, fun, funny, friendly guy,” Gibbs said, “he was a great athlete, smart, he had reverence for his faith, but one of Adams’ trademark characteristics was he always found the kids who sat alone at lunch or didn’t get invited to a party.  … We found a lot of this out after he died. He would reach out to those kids and make them feel included, make them feel special.” 

Larry Colosimo has been approached by several people who have told him Adam was their child’s best friend, said Gibbs. “Larry didn’t know these people. Their children attended different schools and Adam had met them at a basketball game or somewhere else.” 

July 10 was the third anniversary of Adam’s death.

“I don’t think there is a day that goes by that we haven’t thought of him,” Gibbs said. “He left me, and maybe all of us, with a blueprint of how we are supposed to live our lives; what it means to be a Christian, a Catholic and how to give back, to help someone have a better life.” 

“These past two days we really wanted to focus on celebrating Adam’s life and remember good times,” said Mary Colosimo Markosian, another of Adam’s aunts. 

For Mason Krueger, a friend of Adam’s who graduated from Jordan High School, the event did just that. Laying sod was a “cool experience,” he said, and it also brought to mind that “every time Adam and I were together, we always tried to spread love and fun times with everyone.” 

“Adam had a way of bringing kids together when he was alive and he is still doing that now that he is gone,” said John Colosimo, Adam’s uncle and Juan Diego Catholic High School vice principal.

“It’s amazing how many people have come together to support Adam,” said his mother. “He had a lot of amazing friends. He is here in spirit.”

The turnout for the event amazed members of the Utah County Habitat for Humanity office.

“It blew us away how many people wanted to come down from Salt Lake City to help,” said LeAnn Hillam, Habitat for Humanity volunteer coordinator. “They built on the interior and the exterior of these two houses to get them ready for the ribbon cutting. It was so sweet to see all of the family support and to see Adam’s friends who had gone on to college come back and help.”

“Impossible is Nothing” was a slogan Adam adopted from Nike and Mohammed Ali, and now is used by the foundation, said Jean Colosimo. “We adopted that slogan because Adam was the kind of kid that nothing was too hard for him; he always worked hard at everything; the best he could. Really, nothing was impossible for him. He was a captain of the varsity basketball team when he was a sophomore, a straight-A student; he just excelled in everything, and was kind and nice.” 

The Colosimo family and friends also honor Adam’s birthday in April with the Act of Adam, in which they act independently to serve others compassionately in some way.