April's Journey in life began on a beautiful Spring day, she was blessed with her loving parents, her mother, Joyce and her father, the late John W Royal (1950-2021). They presented to her a world of creativity through use of their voices and homemade creations, it is because of them that it was realized at an early age, she held a great love for the arts and feeling present in the lives around her.

 

Through the years of her life at George P Butler Comprehensive High School and Savannah State University, her passion to change the lives of those her voice or actions could touch grew more. After completing college and moving to the Atlanta, Georgia area, surrounded by the arts, she made the decision to complete her book of poetry, Like Pages of a Diary. As life's adventure continued for her, she was given an unexpected blessing. In July of 2007, the Heavens opened and she gave birth to her first child, Kory L Drake Jr. Due to Kory being born four months early, his life of four months was spent in Egleston Children's Hospital. All that April saw and experienced during that time created an idea for her first children's book, Little Blue Bird-Little Kory Goes Home. She was able to read Kory's titleless story to him two days before he passed away .

 

A short time after he passed away, she decided to self-publish her his story. Unsure she was ready, she nervously spoke to her good friend, Kory's Ambassador at the hospital and her father, Mr. Royal who gave her the spoken inspiration she needed. Two years after publishing the book, she felt a desire to do something more and spoke to her father about the idea of an organization that would assist the families of the children's hospital.

 

With her father's help, the Kory Foundation Inc. was born. Over the years, the Kory Foundation Inc has gained many continued sponsors and supporters. April is presently working to do more in Children's healthcare of Atlanta hospitals and in April of this year, the organization will have their first official Children's Hospital of Georgia in-hospitals event. In 2014 April hosted several events there, when she relocated back home to give birth to her second child, Sky who was also born four months premature. During her daughter's stay at the hospital she decided to continue the work she started in Atlanta. April is continuing to bring life to her vision through the help of her board members and supporters and is looking forward to being able to service more families in greater ways, in the state of Georgia, as well as other states.