Woman’s friendship honored on national level

Hope for Hope project organizer selected as "Daily Point of Light."

By: Kara Fitzpatrick
   MONTGOMERY — When Kathy Martin’s friend was in need, she came to the rescue. And now she is being recognized on a national scale.
   Today, Ms. Martin is the Points of Light Foundation "Daily Point of Light" — an honor presented to someone who finds an innovative way to meet a community need.
   She was nominated by Gemma Bertelsen for her support when Ms. Bertelsen’s daughter, Hope, was diagnosed with cancer in 2003.
   Ms. Martin’s profile will be posted on the foundation’s Web site all day at www. pointsoflight.org/awards/dpol/.
   Ms. Martin is the founder of the Hope for Hope project — an effort to raise funds for Hope Bertelsen, who, as a seventh-grader in 2003, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a rare cancer that develops in immature nerve cells.
   Hope is now cancer-free, but the family has not forgotten the support received by the community and initiated by Ms. Martin.
   The result of Ms. Martin’s effort, Hope for Hope, was intended to provide the family with some financial support — and community support — during that rocky time.
   Ms. Martin’s actions were "unmeasurable," said Ms. Bertelsen. "She jumped right in, she just coordinated everything."
   The Hope for Hope project included the sale of T-shirts and note cards featuring artwork by Hope, An Evening of Hope — a dinner and auction event that raised more than $125,000 for the family, bake sales, home cooked meals for the Bertelsens and more.
   "The fund-raising began because I needed to keep myself busy to not think about what was going on," said Ms. Martin, a friend of the Bertelsen family. "(The help) was to keep them from being overwhelmed so they could concentrate on Hope."
   But, Ms. Martin said, as a friend of the family for 10 years, "I knew they would not accept any donations easily."
   So instead of bombarding the family, Ms. Martin rallied the community and planned creative ways — such as the sale of the Hope for Hope products — to assist.
   Because of the support, "One of us could always be with Hope," said Ms. Bertelsen, referring to her and her husband, John.
   "You don’t want to leave a child alone when they’re going through that horrible situation. Without Kathy’s support and organization, we just wouldn’t have been able to do that," Ms. Bertelsen said.
   "She just became the point person for everybody and every organization that wanted to help," said Ms. Bertelsen.
   Altogether, the Hope for Hope project raised about $200,000 for the Bertelsen family.
   The Daily Points of Light program dates back to the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Beginning in 1989, former President Bush designated 1,020 Daily Points of Light that placed volunteer service at the top of its agenda. The Points of Light Foundation reinstated the daily award in 1998.
   Today, President George W. Bush continues that tradition by issuing a congratulatory letter to all those selected as Daily Points of Light.