MD First Lady delivers $20K check to Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House By The Sea
OCEAN CITY, Md.- With smiling faces and painted fingers, families visiting the Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House By The Sea, in Ocean City, are making a lot of memories.
“There is so much to do here, we’ve never been bored sitting in our room,” Kelly Pritchett, Believe In Tomorrow guest, said.
The foundation gives services to critically ill kids and families, like the Pritchett’s from Chesapeake Virginia, letting them take a breather for a week at the beach. Kelly Pritchett said her little one, Cheyenne, had Stage 3 Wilms’ Tumor in her left kidney. She needed to get surgery and is now doing chemotherapy.
“This process has been going by fast, but also you feel like in the very beginning you’re slow in time; but now with the surgery the huge weight off our shoulders,” Pritchett said.
Kelly said finding out her 5-year-old daughter, at the time, had a tumor was devastating. But, her family is receiving support to help push them along. “Being here, it’s meant so much for us because Cheyenne has done all the hard work and just seeing how resilient she is, how strong she is, we all really needed this,” Pritchett said. “She needed it, you know as a family we needed to reconnect, reset and come together, and we are just so grateful for Believe In Tomorrow.”
Not only does the foundation have a special place in this family’s hearts, Maryland First Lady Yumi Hogan has been visiting for years.
“I’m a grandmother, mom, I’m also an art teacher, I’m a caregiver,” First Lady Yumi said. “So, it’s very important, I know how important it is to get support from somebody.”
And, Thursday she gifted the foundation with a generous donation.
“We have a government house foundation under my husband we’ve raised money, not tax money,” First Lady Yumi said.
“A $20,000 check which is going to go a long way in our new project of renovating a building that we just bought, that’s going to connect to this building,” Brian Morrison, Founder of Believe In Tomorrow, said.
Pritchett said this was an amazing moment to witness and she’s grateful to know this check will support more families.
“I think it’s so important for all of us, families, parents, children to get together and do this and connect with other families that are going through it too so you don’t feel alone,” Pritchett said.
First Lady Hogan said even when she is no longer the First Lady she wants to come back and continue supporting families.
“She’s part of our family, she and the Governor are really part of the Believe In Tomorrow family, and forever more they will be because of all the things they’ve done to support us,” Morrison said.
