Benefits

Last night's Sean Kennedy benefit was a great deal of fun to be a part of. My neice, Kylene, organized it, after learning her friend's 7-year old son has lymphoma. I'm very proud of her. It was a great undertaking. She organized a bake sale, full lineup of entertainment, made and sold t-shirts,
gave radio/newspaper interviews, and collected donations from the community. She said about 85 people showed up (less than she hoped), yet she made more money than she hoped - and raised about $2400 for this sweet little boy. (That should relieve the family to no end - as their insurance only covers about 80% of his $2500/MONTH medicine bills). Way to go, Kylene!

Sean's white blood cell count was high enough for him and his family to attend the show... So we invited him to join us on stage... He joined us in a song we taught (See 18 Wheels... below) - then surprised us by leading the crowd in singing I'm Proud To Be An American. He and his brother remained onstage and hummed along as I sang Dylan's Forever Young... It was more than cute.

I'm happy to report that Sean's prognosis is very good - it's just a long road to recovery for this fearless little guy.

After the benefit, Dave and I joined my parents, my brother and neice at a restaurant. Kylene was thrilled that she raised the $ she did. It must be nice to provide some relief for Sean's family. My brother, where equally thrilled to help, was exhausted. He had one thing to ask of his daughter, "Now that the holidays are over, and the benefit is over, can we please, please, please relax a little?" My neice looked at him and answered, "Sure, Dad... Unless something else tragic happens... Someone else may need our help."