Piano Marathon

[Guest guest]

could not have imagined a better outcome for a fundraiser than that which all of you made possible on Friday night.

Together we raised well over $1,500, and with gifts still coming in, will see close to $2,000 going to help find a cure for Pulmonary Fibrosis through their Foundation. Because people were busy at work, only a few people dropped by during the daytime concert hours. But a steady stream developed that led to nearly 100 people enjoying the grand finale at the conclusion of the event.

I enjoyed playing for you the songs I had chosen, but was even more thrilled to play your requests at the end of each hour. Throughout the day, singers and instrumentalists came to my aid and performed for you as well; Margie Secora sang as she dropped off some refreshments at noon; Ray Tanguay wowwed the crowd in the mid-afternoon as we played some of the great favorites of yesteryear; Marge Stepansky led us in song several times and dazzled us with her musical renditions; and even a friend of mine, h Klaneski, couldn't resist the urge to grab a mic and sing to help me out. Frew from the Around Town Junior Chorus not only performed on flute and sang, she also arranged with her teachers for time out of school to work all day at the event as a community service project.

Ventriloquist Judy Buch and "Daisy" gave us all an introspective yet humorous take on life and love, and sang as well. Most enjoyable for me was when Judy took to the second piano and played several four-hand arrangements--both of us improvising and arranging spontaneously out of our heads.

Several of you worked quietly behind the scenes so that I could be up front and concentrate on the music: my wife Allyson coordinated many of the food arrangements and helpers; Tim, Claire, and Frew donated food and supplies and helped set up the night before, then returned at 8 a.m. to verify I started faithfully on time. Wonderful lunch and dinner meals were provided to me by Life and Margie Secora; some tasty goodies came from Heavenly Edibles in Enfield; Leone provided theater lighting for the set to make the room pleasant and comfortable; and, the SVAA volunteers made the building available to run the event, and even provided setup and tear-down assistance, with son decorating my background set. And thank you from Red Riding Hood's Basket for providing activities for the kids and helping with the Tunes for Toddlers hour and the subsequent Songs for Moms. and Seabury donated

little pianos for you to take home as a momento.

To be honest, I was not at all sure I could physically play for 14 hours when I came up with this idea during a testosterone-driven conversation around the table at a Rotary Club dinner. (Never sit next to, or try to one-up, Bob Lowell). But people came to my rescue so that the physical strain would never become an issue. Through the kindness of Barbara Tanguay, Trudy from TruTouch Massage came in and gave me two much needed neck and back massages--while I played--and even sang for the audience as she did this. Her assistance made it possible for me to keep playing and be faithful to my own rule of taking only a ten minute break each hour. I was so energized by your support and presence that I forgot to take my breaks during the last three hours. People kept coming in as the evening progressed, and extra chairs and benches were hustled in to accommodate you who would stay for the big finish.

Musically, I could have gone on even longer, spurred by the audience's enthusiastic requests and appreciative response. I was able to keep to my own goal of using no sheet music--except for two quick instances just to remember the chords for two of our guest performers. Together we walked down memory lane, tried to stump the piano player, laughed, reflected, sang-a-long, and even polka'd. But when 10 p.m. came, my fingers declared it was time to stop, and your kindness to me came into full view as you jumped to your feet and applauded. You could not believe my amazement and joy when we later discovered more than 50 individual donation envelopes to be mailed to the Foundation, with more taken home to be sent in later. There were even a few bucks in the tip jar for your performer to cover the costs of putting on the marathon!

What occured Friday evening was not a testing of God's grace and faithfulness to me personally, but proof of it. This musical gift, for which I paid nothing to receive at birth and have done so little to augment on my own, was laid out for you exhaustively in 150+ songs and 14 hours at the keyboards. It was reassuring that after almost 50 years of playing music, I "still got it" and was able to make you happy as I entertained you. When no one was around in the early morning, I was playing just for Dad. When you all came later in the day, God was directing my tired fingers to play for you. I hope you liked what He did.

Thank you all for letting me do this for myself and for my dad. He would have appreciated very much what you all did to honor his memory. For all you have done, I can say no more than a simple and heartfelt "Thank You."

God bless you all,

Dan Kehoe

Leanne Storch

Executive Director

Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation

1332 N. Halsted, Suite 201

Chicago, IL 60642-2642

www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org

P

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A cure is just a breath away

[Guest guest]

Dan Kehoe, Thank You so much for the marathon you preformed. I know that was not the easiest day you have ever had but you have never had a more selfless one. We here on the board so appreciate all the help we can get to help fight this disease.Again, Thank You from the bottom of my heart. Love & Prayers, PeggyFlorida,  IPF/UIP 2004"I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet, when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."