Meet the Faces Behind the Mission
Tedi Infante | Treasurer
Tedi is a go-getter. When an idea is on the table, Tedi is the one who turns that idea into reality, stopping at nothing to deliver results. Her tenacity is matched only by her selflessness, offering a lending hand to those who need it. Though a busy-bee, Tedi will drop any task for her family. If you spend a day with Tedi, you will notice how valuable her relationship to her family is and see how the knowledge she’s gained from their lessons has impacted her life.
Tedi is the youngest cousin in her generation of the Infante family - the baby cousin. Her fondest childhood memories are all of family gatherings - Cuban pig roasts at the old house on Barclay, “cousin’s nights” at Mi Cocina, holidays, weddings, baby showers - Tedi cherishes these memories. Being the baby cousin means she’s also had the pleasure of watching her family grow. Her aunts and uncles are now grandparents - her cousins have started their own families. Tedi is no longer the baby, and making memories for the current “baby cousins” is a newfound joy of hers.
“When Finnleigh was born, she was this instant beam of sunshine. I couldn’t help but to shower her with the love and attention that my family had given me at a young age,” explained Tedi. She recalls planning Finnleigh’s first birthday party with Kenny, ‘Up, Up, and Away’ was the theme. On her third birthday, Tedi hosted family and friends for a ‘Moana’ birthday celebration. Finnleigh was dressed in the full ensemble, overflowing with energy - it seemed like the best day ever.
“You capture these sweet moments without realizing they may be your last memory shared.”
It was a quiet Sunday afternoon when Tedi received the call that Finnleigh had been in a pool accident. “On my way to the hospital my mind was going through a lot of emotions and a lot of questions,” Tedi described. She could not comprehend how they had just celebrated Finnleigh’s third birthday six weeks prior and suddenly were fighting to save her life.
Tedi spent many sleepless nights at Kenny’s house after Finnleigh’s death. In reading about the many similar tragedies in the area, Kenny urged Tedi to take a deeper look into the data. She was shaken by what she found.
“In North Texas, two-thirds of fatal drownings occur in a pool setting and involve children ages five and younger. The lack of physical barriers is a common theme, and while pools may be the norm in many neighborhoods, pool safety is not, even for families with young children.”
Finnleigh’s Grace is committed to driving change to pool safety standards through implementing physical barriers around pools. Tedi wants the message of what Finnleigh’s Grace stands for to be loud and clear. “There is a simple solution to reducing the number of preventable drownings in our community. We are here to provide that solution, whether that means paying for a pool gate installation or facilitating the arrangements to have one installed,” she explained.
“We can change these numbers dramatically,” says Tedi.
“Tragedies like my family’s are largely avoidable, and unfortunately they’re much more common than you’d think. Knowing this now, I couldn’t possibly sit back and watch these statistics keep piling up. The solutions are obvious - they just require a coordinated effort.”
