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Ohio Kids Assemble The Real Dream Team

November 18, 2004

If billionaire Donald Trump is looking for a couple of whiz-bang corporate types to run his vast real estate empire, or if Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan is serious about improving the economy, they should look no further than Cincinnati, Ohio.

That’s where the business prodigy tandem of 12-year-old Christian and 13-year-old Paul live. These Carey brothers should write a book about looking beyond a successful lemonade enterprise. Perhaps the younger sibling should reconsider his dream of one day becoming an actor, and the older one an NHL hockey player.

Carey family 
The Carey family, Lorri, husband Paul, and their extraordinary ALS fundraising children, Paul Carey Jr. and Christian. 

These Carey kids are quite the entrepreneurs. They formed a team, “Kids 4 Cure,” for The ALS Association Western Ohio Chapter’s Walk to Defeat ALS® at Winton Woods Metro Park in Cincinnatiand so far have raised nearly $67,000 to help their mom, Lorri, diagnosed with ALS in May,2004. And the money from friends, teachers and teammates is still pouring in — a level of support that flat out amazes the two.

It all began at the Walk kick-off meeting, where their competitive spirit compelled them to set a “modest” goal of raising $10,000; however, they were slightly concerned they did not have enough friends to reach that amount.

“'Mom, we can do this,’” Lorri Carey remembers the children telling her.

Their concerns proved groundless.

There are teams and then there is the Carey Walk team. Baseball: nine players. Basketball: five. Compare that to the 550 walkers who joined the “Kids 4 Cure” team that Christian and Paul co-captained.

“Obviously I am very proud of them,” said Lorri. “It required a lot of time, time that otherwise could have been spent participating in summer activities with their friends, instead of registering donations, writing letters and answering e-mails. The doctors said those ALS patients who keep their spirits high live longer, and my children have definitely done that for me.”

Between the amount of money raised and number of walkers, it is probably about time the chapter contacted the Guinness Book of World Records.

The sum represents more than half of the chapter’s overall fundraising goal, and more than five times the amount the brothers set out to raise.

“The hard work and effort they put into raising funds and building their team was really unbelievable,” said Marlin Seymour, the chapter’s executive director.

How did they do it? Like Col. Sanders used to say: “It’s a secret recipe,” however, this much is known, and good marketing gurus on Madison Avenue would agree, it all comes down to the sales pitch, something the Carey kids have obviously mastered.

On the chapters’ website, Christian and Paul composed separate entreaties to potential team member donors under the banner headline, “We are two brothers on a mission.”

Paul’s message begins with the famous line from Lou Gehrig’s luckiest man on the face of the earth speech, and continues: “We ask that you walk along side my brother and I and/or donate money for a good cause. Any donation would be greatly appreciated. Our goal is to get 100 participants and raise $10,000 to go toward ALS.”

Gracious words from Christian included:

“…my mom has just been diagnosed with ALS…Right now my mom is on an experimental drug that could help slow down the disease. Hopefully, that will help, but we want a total cure for ALS… I am looking for volunteers to join our team in a walk to raise money and awareness about ALS.”

The monumental fundraising effort has helped the entire family feel more comfortable about ALS.

“It is easier to talk about the disease step by step,” said Lorri. “We’ve always been a close family, however, everything that has taken place has made it a lot easier.”

The chapter plans to formally thank the brothers next month at the Holiday & Walk Awards Night event.

 

 



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