Karli Rose Kell's name, legacy, lives on

Yesterday marked the seventh Christmas.

The seventh time there were no gifts under the tree, no place at the table, no sounds of her laughter bubbling through the house like the sweet perfume of holiday cooking.

The latest December the Kell family, Ellis and Kristi, endured without their beloved daughter, Karli Rose.

``It's always tough,'' Mr. Kell said, taking a moment for a breath, his eyes welling up a bit. ``It starts to get tougher at the beginning of every fall. She was always such a Christmas type of person; she loved the holidays, everything about them.

``We miss her. You learn to live with it, but it never gets easy.''

Since Karli passed on Oct. 19, 2002, killed in a car crash near Andalusia, her parents have helped her memory live on -- not only for them, but for many others -- and created a legacy of charity in her name.

The Karli Rose Kell Scholarship fund has been going strong since its first Moondance charity concert event in 2003. Since then, it's provided money for dozens of aspiring area musicians, and each year it accepts scores of applications from students ages 8-18. (For more information on the program, e-mail Ellis Kell at ekell@rivermusicexperience.org.)

This year it's close to raising $10,000 for scholarships to go to needy area music students. Tonight, Ellis Kell and his band will perform at the Redstone room, hoping to raise enough funds to push them over the top of that $10,000 threshhold.

``We need $560 and we're there,'' Mr. Kell said. ``We started in July and it's just been amazing to behold the outpouring of support. Even in these tough economic times, when we know it's more difficult for people to find a little extra, people have been generous, and we truly appreciate it.

``It means a lot to us, in keeping Karli's memory alive, but it means so much to the students whose lives are impacted firsthand by it,'' Mr. Kell said. ``Being (at the RME) and seeing that, seeing the kids who are able to continue their music education because of it, is amazing.

``It's the best legacy I can think for her to have, in her name,'' Mr. Kell said. ``She loved music so much, it was such a huge part of her life. I think Karli would be thrilled. I'm sure she's looking down and smiling.''




copyright 2008 Sean Leary / for more writing see www.seanleary.com