November 1 is a sad but special day for Tina Kuhns, whose 12-year-old daughter Kelsey lost her fight with leukemia on November 1, 2005, after an eight-year battle. This year, Kelsey is being remembered by her sister Kylie, a fourth grader, and friends with a memorial day. Kylie is also spearheading an effort to build a playground in Kelsey’s honor at her school, Mifflinburg Intermediate School in Pennsylvania. The brand-new school doesn’t have a playground, and Kylie knew her sister would want one to be built.

 

“She would want me to stop complaining that there’s nothing to do at recess,” Kylie said. “Now if you try and do something fun you get in trouble.”

 

To celebrate Kelsey and raise money for the playground, Kylie is selling T-shirts printed with Kelsey’s “Cancer Crushers” drawing and wristbands that say “Touched by an Angel –Kelsey Kuhns.” Sales have been so brisk that Kylie has almost sold out of the 300 T-shirts, and her father is taking orders for more.

 

Tina said that they originally considered giving the donations to various organizations that do good work before deciding on the playground.

 

“Those are the right things to do, but we though, ‘What would Kelsey want us to do?’” Tina said. “The school was very supportive of building the playground in her memory. They’re going to have a custom sign with her photo and her teachers will write what the sign will say.”

 

Kelsey, like Kylie, was an outdoorsy girl who loved sports, nature, and riding four-wheelers and snowmobiles. Kylie has requested a rock climbing wall in memory of Kelsey.

 

“She thought they looked really cool when she saw them in a catalog,” Kylie said.

 

Kylie and some of Kelsey’s friends, now seventh graders, are working with the Mifflinburg Intermediate School principal on building the playground. Tina says they’re still planning the playground and timeline. If they’re able to begin building before the ground freezes, they may subcontract Playworld to install to save time, although that would cut into the funds for equipment. If the process continues through the spring, Tina coordinate a KaBOOM!-style community effort. To buy a T-shirt or bracelet, call Kylie at 570-966-4605.