Less than a year ago, a dear friend and co-worker of mine was informed that her husband had been diagnosed with brain cancer. Several of our co-workers immediately started looking for ways to help since this family has 3 very young children.  In the course of my search, I stumbled upon an agency that helps families with small children and a terminally ill parent. I found resources for support, discussion and an invitation to submit my friend’s family for a scholarship to the family retreat. WOW!!!!!  So much more than I thought I would have found.

Due to the complications of travel for her husband, my friend Nicole has not been able to take Inheritance of Hope up on their offer but others have and continue to benefit from this remarkable agency.  Even though she could not make the first retreat, Inheritance of Hope has continued to send reminders, support, and information since that time. Clearly their only desire was to help provide a legacy for this family.

I appreciated the efforts of Inheritance of Hope so much that I made a commitment to stay in touch and try to help at any time if possible to provide this assistance to others.  Well, God has a way of holding us to our promises.  So when I received an email that Inheritance of Hope was forming a team to do a marathon and a half marathon, I thought, “That’s nice.  Good luck with that!”  My heart kept telling me I should participate but my 40 year old 300+ pound body (down from 430 lbs.) with two knee injuries, was saying, “Kellie Taylor-White, are you crazy?!?!”

Well my heart has won this battle.  I have committed to WALK not RUN the half marathon. This is not an easy decision and I suspect it will be a difficult and possibly painful task but one I feel I must undertake.

As a show of support, my co-worker Sellina Rogers has committed to doing the half marathon along side. Together we are committed to making a difference and supporting the mission of Inheritance of Hope: To improve well-being in the lives of children and families with a parent who is living with a life-threatening illness.

As Inheritance of Hope’s Vision statement says, "  Every Family Deserves a Legacy" ^®

To quote another participant, “Their labor of love has already blessed the lives of so many families and I am convinced that many more families can be touched through our collective support.”  Please join Sellina and me in raising $1,500 for Inheritance of Hope so that we can all share in the joy of participating in this important mission.

Thanks in advance for your support!

Kellie & Sellina

As members of Team Inheritance of Hope, our participation in 13.1 mile half marathon walk in San Antonio on December 19, 2009 will raise funds and awareness for Inheritance of Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving families with children who have a parent with a life-threatening illness.  Help us meet (or exceed!) our commitment of $1,500.  With your contribution, we can share together in the joy of helping to build legacies for families who are facing a tremendous challenge in their lives.

Inheritance of Hope coordinates and hosts Family Retreats for families with children under 18 who have a parent with a life-threatening illness. Because of generous supporters like you, their Retreats are provided at absolutely no cost to the participating families. These events offer unique and fun activities for parents and children together, forming precious, lifelong memories for the whole family. They also create a community of people who find comfort in knowing that they are not alone in their struggles. Just as importantly, these Retreats are restful – a rare luxury for ill parents.  Beyond the Family Retreats, Inheritance of Hope also offers a scholarship, inspirational literature, and speaking engagements that address the deep needs of these families.

Inheritance of Hope is a young organization with a big vision. In the United States, there are over one million family members facing the challenges of a parent’s terminal illness. These families’ entire lives become consumed by the illness, leaving them without the resources to plan or pay for meaningful family time. Inheritance of Hope’s vision is that “Every Family Deserves a Legacy.”^®