Local Bike Race Chooses KHG

People choose to support The Kelly Heinz- Grundner Brain Tumor Foundation (KHG) in many ways. Some write a check, some participate in KHG’s events, some volunteer their time, while others support the cause by making KHG a beneficiary of their existing activities.

In keeping with its goal of having a diversified fundraising structure, KHG is pleased to announce that on Sunday, June 3, 2007, local cycling team, Team DRT/Deep Blue, will host the 16th Annual Jason Gundel Wilmington Classic on the streets of downtown Wilmington for the benefit of KHG. While this race has been affiliated with other non-profits in prior years, race organizers decided to give the nod to KHG this year. “After meeting Chris last year, hearing his story and how he has decided to dedicate his life to raising awareness for the disease that took his wife’s life, I knew KHG had to be the beneficiary of this year’s race,” stated Randy Inglis, manager of Team DRT/Deep Blue. “It is a chance to help a guy who is working really hard to help others,” Inglis added.

This annual bike race is held in memory of Jason Gundel, a top-level bicycle mechanic, enthusiast and racer at Dunbar’s Cyclery, who tragically died of complications caused by a spinal cord tumor in September of 1999 at the age of 27. “While Jason’s tumor was in his spinal cord, the painful treatments and complications he endured are very similar to those brain tumor patients face. As such, Jason and Kelly’s stories are sadly similar,” stated Jay Gundel, Jason’s father and President of Jay Gundel & Associate’s, Inc., one of the sponsors of the race. “It is good to see someone working so hard to raise public awareness,” Gundel continued.

“I am honored and pleased that they chose KHG to be the beneficiary of their event this year,” Chris Grundner, President and Executive Director stated. “This is a first class event put together by a great group of guys. In addition to Randy and Jay, local restaurateur Dan Butler, the team’s lead sponsor, was also really excited about helping us out. I’ll never be able to thank the three of them enough for approaching us with this opportunity,” Grundner added.

If it is anything like races in previous years, the 16th Annual Jason Gundel Wilmington Classic promises to be a really fun-filled day with lots of action for both riders and spectators. Interested parties can find out more about the race at the Team DRT/Deep Blue website: www.teamdrt.org

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Other Ways to Support KHG

Another great way to support KHG is to sell items on eBay and designate a portion of the proceeds to KHG. While it may sound complicated, this can actually be done easily though eBay’s Giving Works program – the dedicated program for charity listings on eBay. Through a partnership with MissionFish, eBay users can list items and donate either a portion of or all of the final sale price to their favorite nonprofit organizations. Since 2000, more than $81 million has been raised for charity from listings sold on eBay worldwide.

Here is how it works:
1. eBay sellers pick KHG and designate a percentage to share from each sale.
2. Once the item is listed, bidding begins on eBay. (Note: KHG reserves the right to cancel items listed on their behalf)
3. If the item sells, the seller gets paid by the buyer and ships the item – same as always.
4. MissionFish collects the donation from the seller, pays the non-profit and provides a tax receipt.

If you are thinking of selling an item on eBay and are interested in donating a portion of the proceeds to KHG, all you have to do is visit http://givingworks.ebay.com, search for The Kelly Heinz-Grundner Brain Tumor Foundation in the list of registered nonprofits and chose what percentage of the sale you would like to have benefit KHG.

If you are not an eBay seller or you just want to donate the item to KHG altogether, a relatively new company called iSold It may be the answer for you. Simply bring the items you’d like to donate to an iSold It store, tell them that you want KHG to be the beneficiary, and iSold It will take care of the rest. In this arrangement, iSold It will list and sell the item on eBay and KHG will earn approximately 75% of the item’s final sale price. It’s that simple!

Currently, KHG is registered at the following two iSold It stores:
1261 New Churchman’s Road, Christiana, DE 19713
1810 Wilmington Pike, Glen Mills, PA 19342

However, if you are not near one of these stores, you can still participate in this program by (1) finding a store near you by visiting the iSold It website at www.i-soldit.com and (2) letting KHG know of your plans, so it can register at that specific location as well.

For more information on the opportunities in this article, please contact KHG at (302) 427-2280.

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Message from the President

Until this time, I have been extremely careful not to get too personal in any of the Foundation’s various communication forums, particularly in this column. However, I am going to make an exception to that rule in this issue since I have some really great news to share with you. As supporters of the Foundation, many of you are aware of the very difficult aspects of my personal journey since losing Kelly in 2004, so I feel it is only fair that I bring you into a joyous moment, as well.

On April 28th, after a little over a year of dating, I married an extremely wonderful woman named Susan Broody. As it turns out, Susan was a very close friend of Kelly’s, so I’ve actually known her for about five years in all. But since she was primarily Kelly’s friend, I really only knew her in that capacity until we had the chance to spend some time together early last year during a mutual friend’s Super Bowl party. Of course, from what Kelly told me and from the small interactions we did have over the years, I certainly knew what kind of person she was – kind, compassionate, generous and fun-loving. However, as I have now come to know and love her, Susan is all of that and more. Suffice to say that I now know why Kelly loved her so much and why they were such great friends!

To say that meeting someone and starting over was a surprise to me would be a tremendous understatement. Those closest to me know that I was steadfast in my belief that I was going to be alone for the rest of my life and that I was really okay with that. To be a bit more accurate, being alone is actually what I wanted for myself. To me, what I had with Kelly was something that could never be repeated, so why would I even try? What’s more, I felt that loving someone else would diminish what I had with Kelly and I couldn’t bear the thought of that. Additionally, I had the Foundation to pour my time and energy into and I wasn’t going to let anyone or anything distract me from that goal.

The bottom line was that the thought of starting over with someone new wasn’t even a consideration for me even though Kelly clearly told me that was what she wanted me to do. I simply didn’t even want to talk about it as an option.

Well, as my friends in faith know, God has a plan for all of us and, as hard as it may be to accept, His plan may not be in line with what we want for ourselves. However, the truth is, and as we eventually find out, God’s plan is always to prosper us and never to harm us. To put it another way, God doesn’t always give us what we want when we want it, but He always gives us what we need when we need it. In my case, being alone was simply not God’s plan for me nor, as I now know, was it in my best interest. I thank God each day for helping me to wake up to this reality and allowing me to once again actualize Kelly’s motto for life: live, laugh, love, pray and be grateful everyday!

The fact of the matter is that by being resistant to starting over I risked losing who I was and, ultimately, who God created me to be. As those closest to me know, I was miserable inside before I met Susan. Yes, the Foundation and the prospect of making something good happen out of the tragic loss of Kelly was a source of tremendous joy and healing for me. Just knowing that my God-given talents and skills were being used for the greater good was extremely rewarding to me and inspired me to get out of bed with a positive outlook every day. However, at the core, there was a big hole inside my heart that was essentially tearing me apart.

To imply that this inner sadness was simply a need for companionship would be completely inaccurate and a disservice to God’s message for all of us. The reality was that my soul ached because there was another part of me – my capacity to love – that I was essentially choosing to let waste away because I thought it was too difficult for me to try to grow it again with someone new. Sadly, I knew that what I was doing was wrong and that my suffering was a direct result of my refusal to even consider the thought that God might have something new and wonderful planned for me. It was at this point that the amazing blessing of Susan entered my life and literally saved me from myself.

You may not be asking, but are perhaps wondering what this new phase of my life will mean for the Foundation. Let me assure you that I am convinced that Susan’s arrival into my life, not only saved me, but also has served to reinvigorate the Foundation, which in hindsight I think was being held back a little by my inner sadness. In addition, although I would have never admitted it at the time, before I met Susan I was probably “running a race” with the Foundation that I simply couldn’t finish on my own. As the saying goes, I was burning the candle at both ends and there is good reason to believe that I would have burned out altogether sooner or later.

All that has changed because of Susan. I now have a partner who not only brings balance to my life, but also one who strongly supports the work of the Foundation in a very hands-on way. As a result, the Foundation is actually stronger than ever and has an even greater potential to succeed in achieving its mission and vision.

In closing, I want to say something that I’ve said before, but I feel is important to say again. I believe that it is my destiny to do this work in the world of brain tumors and as the weeks and months go by, I become even more passionate about what we are trying to do and our ability to accomplish it. What’s more, with my opportunity to love again with Susan, you have my commitment that our love and our passion will be used to positively propel the Foundation toward even bigger and better things.

As always, thank you for your continued support and keep your questions coming!

Truly,

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