OUR STORY
His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. – Ephesians 1:5
WHO IS KENNEDY?
Kennedy 'Fireselam' Gleason was born on October 19, 2008 in Ethiopia. Found by her community as an infant, she was referred to the Gleason family for adoption on January 28, 2009. She was four months old and weighed only five pounds — She was severely malnourished and fighting to survive.
On March 13th, Katie and Rudy received their first set of pictures of their beautiful daughter and fell in love instantly. They checked their email around the clock hoping for updates.
On April 1, 2009, Dear Sweet Kennedy went to be with Jesus. She was not strong enough to fight the illness she had developed. The Gleasons hearts were shattered.
But through their grief, God planted in them a burning passion to fight for the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children and families in Ethiopia. The Gleasons were the parents to two sons when they began the process of adopting Kennedy. In the time following Kennedy's passing, the Gleasons grew their family by adopting daughters Isabelle and Brooklyn, also from Ethiopia.
Kennedy's life — though brief — changed everything.
Because of her, thousands of lives are being transformed.
A LETTER FROM RUDY & KATIE
God used our daughter's adoption to break our hearts for what breaks his. While Kennedy's passing shattered us, it also ignited a passion within us to fight for the orphaned and vulnerable in Ethiopia. Over fifteen years ago, we started by partnering with orphanages to provide formula and much-needed supplies. Over time, we felt God calling us to grow.
Today, Because of Kennedy educates, empowers, and equips vulnerable families to raise themselves out of poverty, partners with the local church to lead people in a growing relationship with Christ, and conducts research to develop new solutions to alleviate poverty and disparities in Ethiopia.
Families in these programs are experiencing life-changing transformation — going from illiterate to literate, from defeated to empowered, from struggling to thriving, and most importantly from dead to alive in Christ.
Will you be a part of this mission?
— RUDY & KATIE GLEASON
FOUNDERS OF BECAUSE OF KENNEDY
HEAR IT IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Listen to the full founding story of Because of Kennedy on the Start & Grow Podcast — available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Kennedy's Story Is Still Being Written
Every family we serve, every business launched, every child fed — it all began with one little girl who weighed five pounds and changed everything. Will you help us write the next chapter?
