One of the hallmarks of a good city is how the people in it come together to treat someone in need.
And that is what the people of Sartell, a really good city, did recently. They organized; they came together; they generously donated auction items, money and time – all to make a very special day for Kelly Orndorff, the lovely young woman who became blind during surgery to remove a massive brain tumor.
The event, dubbed “Don’t Lose Sight,” was remarkable for its turnout (more than 400 people) and for its results: support for Orndorff, raising awareness of the sight-challenged and for the social fun the participants enjoyed.
Many months ago Tania Nevares, the Sartell Lions Club secretary, heard about Orndorff and suggested the club sponsor a fundraiser for her. The Lions, who take on sight-related projects along with doing many other good deeds, wholeheartedly agreed, and the ambitious organizing began.
The enthusiastic responses came every quarter. Many businesses donated money and gift items for a silent auction. Individuals, too, donated money, time and all kinds of help. Everyone rallied to make the event a triumph.
Orndorff and her family, at times moved to tears, said repeatedly how humbled they were by the generous outpouring of support, including such kindness from total strangers.
The event was also a success not just because of the money raised but for raising awareness of the challenges faced daily by the sight-impaired or the totally blind. It’s almost shameful how many of us take our sight for granted.
Lions Club members were left virtually speechless by so much kindness and so much generosity from so many Sartell businesses and residents, including many generous well-wishers from the larger area.
Anyone who has met Kelly Orndorff knows her indomitable spirit, her deep faith in God and family, and her astonishing ability to turn disappointments, anguish and pain into hope and positivity. In fact, Kelly has the kind of vision that counts most, an inner vision illuminated by her incandescent spirit. It’s a vision more of us could use because as the saying goes, “There are none so blind as those who will not see.”
Sartell residents and businesses should be so proud in showing such rousing support for this fine young woman. Kelly is and will remain an inspiration to all who meet her. And last but not least, we should all give our thanks to the meticulous, long-time planning of the Sartell Lions Club whose members worked so hard to make “Don’t Lose Sight” such a success. That club, founded in 1965, doesn’t have a lot of members, but what it lacks in members it more than makes up for in its extraordinary caring, connectedness and generosity.
The Sartell Lions, indeed, are a big reason why Sartell is such a good city – a really, really good city.