You'd think the Kelly family would just take a vacation after the 17 heart wrenching and frightening months they've been through. Instead, they're throwing one of the more star-studded parties this city will see all year.
Their inspirational story began on May 4, 2005 when daughter Faith was born a week early after suffering a stroke in her mother's womb. Doctors found fluid on the young brain, ran tests, recommended surgery, assembled an extensive team. A Pediatrician. Neurosurgeon. Neurologist. Neonatalogist. Hematologist. A fleet of nurses. A new life began in intensive care. The list of specialists caring for Faith continued to grow over the subsequent months.
Then, in December 2005, four-year-old Madelyn – the middle of three children – was diagnosed with Type One Juvenile Diabetes, a disease that causes the immune system to turn against its own body. The prescription: daily insulin injections and constant finger pricks to test blood sugar levels.
The Kelly's kept family and friends up-to-date with regular emails and an online blog. And the family is "thriving" today. But suffice it to say Brian and Kathleen, who live in downtown Grand Rapids with Hanna 7, Madelyn 5, and Faith 17 months, grew to depend on and deeply respect the staff at DeVos Children's Hospital. Now they want to give something back and help to ensure that other families have a positive experience as well.
So the Kelly's assembled a committee of local business and civic leaders and organized a unique benefit fundraiser and concert for the hospital. The event, One More Day For Kids, will feature Mitch Albom, author of best-selling books such as Tuesdays With Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, as well as musical performances from Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Brian Vander Ark, lead singer of the band The Verve Pipe, and indie-folk artist Lux Land. It will be held on December 5, 2006 in DeVos Performance Hall.
Albom, a long-time friend of Brian and Kathleen, is currently on a whirlwind 74-city promotional tour for his latest novel, For One More Day. Albom will make this event in Grand Rapids his only stop in West Michigan this year to sign books and interact with an audience.
"If we can sell out DeVos Hall, which seats about 2,400, we'll raise somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000," said Brian Kelly, a photographer and active board member on the Downtown Alliance.
A Call to Care
Last year, the Kelly's held a much more modest fundraiser in their backyard. The ice cream social netted $4,200 and went to buy a new crib for the neonatal unit, infant scales, instructional DVD's on infant CPR for young families, and other medical equipment.
This year, the family is setting their sights higher. Their commitment illustrates how the broader Grand Rapids community is rallying around world-class institutions like DeVos Children's Hospital to provide another, deeper layer of service for patients and their families.
Photographer Jeff Dykehouse, for example, who lost his 14 month old daughter to Leukemia, started a nonprofit organization and now works exclusively with Hospice of Michigan to provide, free of charge, framed family portraits of patients with chronic illness and their loved ones. Emily's Big Picture Project is based in the Heartside District on the Avenue for the Arts.
Follow this link to view a short film documentary about Jeff Dykehouse by Rapid Growth's photographer Brian Kelly.
The Grand Horizons Foundation, a nonprofit organization that is also receiving a significant portion of proceeds from the One More Day For Kids benefit, was established to help children that can benefit from a summer camp experience and get back to acting like kids with a week-long getaway at a Christian camp. "When a child is critically ill, the whole family suffers," said Phyllis Tillema, founder and president of Grand Horizons. "We offer an opportunity for the siblings and well children to have a break from all the stress and have a fun experience."
Then there's the Kelly's, who appreciate the tens of millions of dollars that philanthropists are donating to build world-class medical facilities on Health Hill and ask 'what can we do?'
"A lot of times there is a great deal of attention given to the capitol campaigns and the bricks and mortar to build the buildings," Kelly said. "This is all critical to the success of our medical community. But the money we're raising will go specifically to meet some of the needs that the staff has identified. These funds don't go to a general fund or a building fund. Kathleen and I will help decide how every dollar donated is spent. We're going to go shopping in a sense for some of the needs that can better help the hospital staff do their job of providing critical care to children."
A Philanthropic Spirit Shines
Tickets for the December fundraiser range in price from $60 to $100. Ticket holders will receive a signed copy of Albom's newest book, For One More Day, and have an opportunity to meet the author. They'll also receive a signed copy of Brian Vander Ark's latest CD. Tickets are available at Schuler Books and Music, Ticketmaster, DeVos Hall, D&W stores and Macy's.
Kelly said proceeds from the event will go to, for example, purchase special equipment, pay for patient training programs, or perhaps buy stuffed animals for the young patients. Even as contractors prepare to break ground on a new, $190 million facility for DeVos Children's Hospital, staffers say the community fundraising is essential to the hospital's overall operation.
"Philanthropic support from the community helps us fund our programs and continues to help us grow," said Jennifer Wardrop, development director at the children's hospital. "For the Kelly's to want to give something back is a testimony to the community we live in. We're so appreciative that they're doing this in honor of their daughters."
Photo descriptions top to bottom:
Brian and Kathleen Kelly with Mitch Albom - photograph courtesy of The Kelly's
Mitch Albom photograph courtesy of the author
Brian Vander Ark photograph by Brian Kelly
Lux Land photograph by Brian Kelly
All Image Rights Reserved as noted above
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