New Notre Dame Academy library honors Louisville siblings killed in tragic accident

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - A Louisville family turned their grief into positive energy after tragedy struck a little more than a year ago.

The Addie and Baylor Kirchgessner Foundation honors the two siblings who died after being hit by a truck while playing mini golf on Dec. 4, 2020 in Panama City Beach, Fla.

On Friday, the children’s parents attended the dedication of the new Addie and Baylor Kirchgessner Library at Notre Dame Academy, where the two were students. Matt and Lauren Kirchgessner were on hand to show their children’s former classmates around the library.

(Story continues below photo)

”It’s hard,” Lauren Kirchgessner said as she looked at her her children’s names on the wall.

“It is hard,” her husband agreed, “because they should be here.”

The Kirchgessners were able to fund the entire renovation of the library through the foundation.

They hope that Addie and Baylor’s names aren’t just names on a wall, but that their names change other people’s lives for the better.

“It’s also pretty cool that this is their legacy,” Matt Kirchgessner said. “Their legacy is putting books in kids’ hands. Addie and Bailey loved to read. What the foundation has been able to accomplish so far is awesome.”

The library was renovated with a new reading room designed to look like a treehouse, new floors, new desks, new chairs, and new shelves.

Despite their loss, the Kirchgessners said they are proud of what their children have accomplished.

“It’s awesome that it turned out like this,” Matt Kirchgessner said. “I mean, this is just cool that Notre Dame now has a brand new library and a great place for the kids to come and learn and enjoy reading.”

The Addie and Baylor Kirchgessner Foundation contributed approximately $50,000 to the library’s renovation.

Copyright 2022 WAVE 3 News. All rights reserved.