Homes on the Hill
October 2000 Edition
By Rocky Reynebeau
I am overwhelmed by the goodness of people’s souls. There are folks all around us doing wonderful things, from their hearts, for the betterment of their communities. Witness my friend Chuck Woodring of Chuck’s Kids which cares for 1100 kids each Christmas. And, Mindy Willams Starfire Dog Adoption, which adopts out dogs left homeless by the death of their owners. Neighbors of ours doing good things - we should support them Now there’s Kim and Vickie Steuart who have created Joseph’s Journey which is based on the Make-a-wish format.
Their story is a very simple one - Kim recently told it to my Kiwanis Club. Joseph, their 14 year-old son loved anything outdoors - he wanted to be a ranger or work in the wilderness. Joseph’s dream was cut short when he was diagnosed with leukemia in May of 1999. He accepted this terrible news and fought the disease. When it was discovered that he had a from of leukemia that would require a bone marrow transplant, he once again had the courage to move ahead and fight. Joseph had a few complication, but made it through the bone marrow transplant and came home from the hospital in record time. His time at home was short, complications set in and he was once again hospitalized. Joseph died on January 5th, 2000.
Kim told the story of how he and Joseph had been planning a "dream caribou hunt" sometime in the future. When Kim checked with the Make-a-Wish Foundation he discovered that because guns were involved Make-a-Wish could not become involved. This was the first seed of what was to become Joseph’s Journey. The second seed was when a few days after Joseph died Kim came across a box full of change in Joseph’s room It turned out that each night when Kim came home he put his change on the counter - he always noticed that the change disappeared but didn’t pay too much attention to it. That change, $50.25, ended up in that box with a note "Caribou hunt money."
The result of these seeds is Joseph’s Journey an organization dedicated to fulfilling dream of wilderness experiences, special expeditions or personalized hunts for children under 21 years of age who suffer from a terminal or life-threatening illness. These dream experiences are one bright moment in a period of tremendous pain and sadness. Kim’s passion for Joseph’s Journey is contagious. He is already receiving support from Dunstan’s Optimist Club and Denver Academy.
Our Kiwanis club is talking about how we can become involved both as
a club and as individuals. Perhaps some of the Homeowners on the Hill
would like to become involved also. If you have question you may contact
Kim and Vickie at Joseph’s Journey, PO Box 150453, Lakewood, Colorado
80215-0453 or email at Josephsjourney@aol.com. Joseph’s Journey is
a 501 (c ) 3 non-profit corporation.
