KENT COUNTY, Mich — Nearly a year after losing their 5-year-old daughter, a West Michigan family is turning their most painful loss into a way to help others.
Payton Polmateer was full of life and full of love.
"She was a big ball of energy," her father, Brandyn Polmateer, said. "She just was a giver, and she wanted everyone to feel known, loved, welcomed, and that just never wavered".
Holly Polmateer remembers her daughter's passion for people, the color pink and rainbows.
"She couldn't understand why rainbows didn't have the color pink, and so when she painted her rainbow, she always added pink lines," Holly said.
Last November, the family faced a storm they could never have prepared for, when Payton was suddenly killed.
"She passed in an accident out front of our house. She was hit while she was out playing with her brother in front of our driveway," Holly explained.
In the days that followed, friends and the community rallied around the family, raising money after the unimaginable loss.
That support sparked a way to share Payton's light with the world.
"What would Payton want to do? And so we took 11 of her friends and went shopping at Target and donated $12,000 worth of toys to Helen DeVos for Christmas, and that kind of sparked the idea of, like, we would love to start a foundation," Holly said.
Payton's Pink Rainbow Project launched this spring. It offers a chance to be a rainbow of hope for families affected by grief in West Michigan and beyond.
"There's just nothing to take away the pain. And so we thought maybe financial assistance would be able to help with that and so we thought covering funeral costs would be a great way," Holly said.
The nonprofit also sponsors weekend getaways for grieving families, along with random acts of kindness. A recent diaper drive brought in nearly 12,000 diapers.
When asked what Payton would think about the work her parents are doing, Holly became emotional.
"I hope she'll be so proud of this. And she truly just loved everyone. And so she would be so happy to be able to help families and to be able to help," Holly said.
"It's truly trying to bring beauty from ashes because she was just a beautiful little girl, and that's what she deserves. Her legacy deserves to be that," Holly said.
"The alternative to the pain would be forgetting her, and that's not an option," Brandyn said. "It'll never be enough. But if we can at least try to fill that bucket as much as we can, knowing that there are other people that have seen her name, seen her face, know the compassion that she had, and we're simply just carrying that forward."
Nearly a year now without being able to hold their little girl, the family says Payton's memory still brings color to the cloudiest days. Her name and the love she gave so freely live on in every life she touches.
"It's not easy. And I would trade her back. 100 times over, I would trade her back. But if this is what the path that we've been led to walk down, then this is what we're going to do," Holly said.
Payton was also a Gift of Life donor. Her parents say it was another way for her to be a giver in her final moments.
Payton's Pink Rainbow Project sold more than 300 shirts as part of a recent fundraiser. The family is asking people to wear those shirts to celebrate Payton on November 3rd, what would have been her 6th birthday.
For more information about Payton's Pink Rainbow Project, click here.
As the FOX 17 and Lake Michigan Credit Union Pay it Forward Persons of the Month, the Polmateers receive a $250 prize.
Know someone who should be featured next month? Nominate them here.
Meet Sharon Yonker, our September 2026 Pay it Forward Person of the Month.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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