NORTHAMPTON — Katie Lyons was well known among her wide circle of friends and family for her dedication to children in foster care.

So it was only natural that a a fund set up in her memory would aim to benefit those children.

Katie’s Fund was established by Joe’s Cafe owner Meaghan Sullivan in honor of Lyons, who worked at the Market Street restaurant for about 12 years, until 2019. Lyons died unexpectedly in January at the age of 44.

Sullivan said she had been trying to think of a way to honor her friend, a woman who lit up every room she entered, but was also kind, generous and compassionate.

“It struck me, every time I’d speak with her around this time of year, she was shopping for gifts for children in foster care,” Sullivan said. “She loved the holidays.”

So Sullivan came up with the idea of Katie’s Fund, which would be administered through the nonprofit Friends of Children Inc. Following a fundraising dinner Dec. 13 at Joe’s, the fund launched with more than $7,500 in donations.

The restaurant contributed 25% of the night’s proceeds, and others dropped off checks or gave online, Sullivan said as she took a short break from writing thank-you notes to donors Tuesday.

“It seemed to happen naturally,” she said of the way the fundraiser came together. “Katie was such a part of the community, I knew a lot of people would want to come out.”

Lyons was connected to Friends of Children through her stepmother, Jane Lyons, who retired as executive director of the organization in June.

Friends of Children was formed as a nonprofit child advocacy organization in Northampton in 1990. Among other initiatives, it trains court-appointed special advocates (CASA), who advocate for children during legal proceedings in divorce or abuse cases, and runs a program called FOCUS that recruits mentors to help young adults who have “aged out” of foster care make the transition to adulthood.

Sullivan said she still gets emotional thinking about Lyons.

“I think about her every day,” she said. “Doing this fundraiser, she’s very present, especially the last couple of weeks.”

In a press release from Friends of Children, she expressed how Lyons seemed to have a sixth sense for people who could use emotional support.

“Katie had a way of being there when you were most in need — whether it be a shoulder to cry on, some reassurance, or just a good old-fashioned laugh,” Sullivan wrote.

The Lyons family expressed thanks to Joe’s Cafe in a recent letter to the editor:

“No one knew better than Katie how important community and family are. For years, she worked happily raising money and buying holiday gifts for children and youth in care, giving children and the community who donated a measure of belonging to something larger than themselves.”

Friends of Children spokeswoman Valerie Smart said Katie’s Fund will go toward buying essentials for children as well as holiday gifts, and providing opportunities to participate in sports and the arts.

“It’s a program that we’ll continue to seek funding for,” Smart said.