Those of us who live in our small, suburban town of Crystal Lake, IL, as well as so many others from around the country, have watched in disbelief as the story of innocent, little AJ Freund has unfolded. Five years of an unthinkable existence defying logic, reason and understanding has us all rattled to the core.


While the tragic details of this young boy’s life & horrific death come crashing into public view, we hope to learn from this tragedy and improve our systems so it might never happen again. For right now, however, we as a community and society must renew our efforts to uplift, support and protect those who cannot fend for themselves.

While our mission at Decor Designs has always been to bring beauty to the world around us, we are humbled by the realization there is simply some ugly we will rarely see and may never erase. And while we all struggle to understand how senseless tragedies like this can and are allowed to happen, we lift up AJ as a beacon of hope for others.

For AJ and so many others sadly living in similar conditions, we join in remembering him by wearing blue today. Also, Decor Designs, Inc., will be making a donation in AJ’s honor to CASA of McHenry County. This organization and their Court Appointed Special Advocates help give children like AJ the voice they so desperately need in our imperfect legal system.

And finally, to sweet AJ, we send belated but much deserved love, light and a prayers for a peaceful slumber. ? May your innocent beauty shine on!