(April 2021) The KLMF was founded in 2001, after the untimely death of 12 year old Kasey in a fire. The out pouring of sympathy from all over the United States enabled us to start this fund dedicated to helping mainly children in our area. Since our inception; we have given many, one thousand dollar scholarships to help in further education. The Sebasticook Valley Community Center programs was gifted cheering uniforms, shoes and equipment, basketball uniforms, most of their gymnastics programs equipment to include mats, and much more. When the Community Center closed they gave back the equipment and it was re-gifted to schools in our local area. Nokomis High School benefited from donations of basketball warm-ups, coolers for snack shacks, and monetary assistance for the JORTC drill team to participate several times on a national level. We assisted in the startup of a Football Cheering team at Nokomis Regional High School, providing funds to help purchase uniforms. We also sponsor a chair at Nokomis, with the proceeds going to the sports programs. We gave each the 5 elementary schools in our district $500 gift certificates during a budget crisis. This was to help them get supplies for the Children until a budget was successfully passed. We helped at the annual Snowmobile Ride-in the Pine Tree camp (for handicapped children and adults) for many years. Every Kindergartener entering Newport Elementary School has been given school supplies for many years From the Newport Woman’s Group with The Kasey Funds help. And for three years we have each Kindergartener a smoke detector during Fire Safety week at school. Several children have gone to summer sports camps with our assistance, and one young lady went to Europe with our help. We helped two young Ladies in going to an invitation only cheering camp in Hawaii. Only 100 Cheerleaders all across the United States are invited and 2 of our local Ladies were talented enough to go. We have donated to the Red Cross for disaster relief, and to a young man with M.D. to help purchase a new van with a chair lift, to a former Marine who was burned out of his house, to a 6 year old ill with diabetes, a teacher with cancer, and a little boy with a rare disease. For several years we have sponsored a team that walked for the Make a Wish Foundation, and donated to a team who walked for the Susan Komen 26 mile Breast Cancer walk. The Kasey Fund sponsored an arts and crafts room when the new Newport Cultural Center was built. And most every year for Christmas we adopt families and fill their wish lists to include Christmas dinner, wrapping paper and tape. At Christmas we give families heating oil for their homes, and donated to the JROTC Giving tree. And much, MUCH more!! Every year in February, we hold a Dinner/Dance as our major fund raiser. This includes a dinner cooked by our board of directors and friends. This year was the first time in 19 years we haven’t had our Dinner/ Dance and it was missed by many. We have held golf tournaments, also run by the board, with assistance from volunteers. We have no full time employees for the KLMF, so the only over head we have is for supplies and advertising. We have given food for Kids during vacation before, but this past year it was needed more than ever. With the help of local businesses and people with giving hearts over 500 bags of food went home with kids in our school district. We have done so much more, and it always is heartwarming to help someone in need. Thank you for your time
If you have questions, know of somewhere we can help out, or maybe want to make a donation or help in some way, please contact Kimberly Lander, (co-chair) at 207-341-0787.
