FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Inside one of the newest beach hotels on the First Coast, there’s an art gallery honoring a teen who made a big impact in the community, with the goal of making a bigger impact in the medical field.
The gallery is inside the Courtyard Marriott and Springhill Suites on Amelia Island. The general manager is Olivia Hoblit.
It honors her late daughter Trinity, who stood 29 inches tall. Trinity had primordial dwarfism. Years after she died, the community continues to support her.
“We miss her every day, because everything just makes her happy," Hoblit said.
She works in the big back corner office surrounded by memories.
"It could be the simplest thing. When she wakes up in the morning, she is like, 'Good morning!' When I get home from work, she’s like, 'Hey mom! How are you?!'” Hoblit described her late daughter's personality.
She talks about Trinity in present tense, even making sure she is still in family photos, with a framed photo of Trinity on her lap.
Trinity died in 2015 from a brain aneurysm. She was 14.
“Sometimes it is hard to talk about," Hoblit said.
But she insists people know about Trinity’s condition, with the Trinity Love Hoblit Foundation.
Down the hall, the hotel surprised her by opening up this gallery.
“Beautiful abstractions of nature, movement, texture," gallery curator Shaughnessy Johnson explained the art.
Johnson is showcasing local artists. Everything sold goes to aneurysm research via Trinity’s foundation.
The foundation is currently funding research to determine whether aneurysms can be genetic. They work with Baptist Neurological Institute and Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
It was a place close to Trinity.
“Every time we go to Wolfson Children’s Hospital, (Trinity) would always tell me ‘Mom I’m praying for the children to better.’" Hoblit said. "In her condition, knowing what she was going through, but she would always think about the other children first and other people. That’s just full of love, and that is what Trinity is about.”
Seven years since she died, Trinity is painting a brighter future for others.
“It’s sharing her story, but it is also great awareness. It is saving more lives out there," Hoblit said about the gallery.
The art exhibit is open now.
You can learn more about Trinity and her condition here.