Seahawks Players Equality & Justice for All Action Fund
“All the things that truly matter, beauty, love, creativity, joy and inner peace arise from beyond the mind.” -- Eckhart Tolle
By KABF Chair Debra Hannula
When KABF directors and Kelly Ann Brown’s parents, Steven Eugene Paschall and Katy Jo Steward, recommended a grant to the Seahawks Players Equality & Justice for All Action Fund no one could have predicted the incredible story of kindness and love that would unfold. It was the final grant Steve would recommend. He died on November 16, 2017.
Where to begin? How about with Steve. Steve was a huge sports fan. In high school Steve ran track and field, and cross country. Steve loved to watch football and baseball. He didn’t own a TV for the longest time, so when he lived in West Seattle, he spent a considerable amount of time at the Sports Shack near his home. Kelly and I would tease him that in order to get him home, we’d press our forlorn faces against the sports bar windows to summon him. Though from Chicago, Steve loved the Northwest. He loved hiking and camping, fishing and hunting. Steve came to love all things Seattle, including the Seahawks.
Up until several years ago, it's safe to say that Katy Jo was not a sports fan. It was Steve’s love for the game and the character of the Seahawk players themselves, which finally brought her around.
After Steve was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2015, he spent considerable amounts of time in the hospital. He and Katy Jo developed a morning routine. She would bring him a latte and the Seattle Times and they would read the paper aloud, starting with the Seattle Times sports page. When sportswriter Bob Condotta wrote about the Seahawks Equality Fund, Steve and Katy Jo felt inspired. They let the board know we needed to give a grant to support it, telling us:
"When we read about the fund in the Seattle Times, we called the Seattle Foundation. They directed us to the Seahawks’ Justice Fund website where we discovered that the Seahawk Fund is dedicated to justice, equality and education. We have followed with interest Seattle Times reporter Bob Condotta’s articles about the players, like Doug Baldwin Jr.’s outreach to prosecutors and legislators surrounding the issues of young black men being killed. We believe that they can be effective. They have a platform. They are being leaders; they are being positive and proactive, and we as a foundation want to empower people. We are so happy that we can support them."
When KABF directors and Kelly Ann Brown’s parents, Steven Eugene Paschall and Katy Jo Steward, recommended a grant to the Seahawks Players Equality & Justice for All Action Fund no one could have predicted the incredible story of kindness and love that would unfold. It was the final grant Steve would recommend. He died on November 16, 2017.
Where to begin? How about with Steve. Steve was a huge sports fan. In high school Steve ran track and field, and cross country. Steve loved to watch football and baseball. He didn’t own a TV for the longest time, so when he lived in West Seattle, he spent a considerable amount of time at the Sports Shack near his home. Kelly and I would tease him that in order to get him home, we’d press our forlorn faces against the sports bar windows to summon him. Though from Chicago, Steve loved the Northwest. He loved hiking and camping, fishing and hunting. Steve came to love all things Seattle, including the Seahawks.
Up until several years ago, it's safe to say that Katy Jo was not a sports fan. It was Steve’s love for the game and the character of the Seahawk players themselves, which finally brought her around.
After Steve was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2015, he spent considerable amounts of time in the hospital. He and Katy Jo developed a morning routine. She would bring him a latte and the Seattle Times and they would read the paper aloud, starting with the Seattle Times sports page. When sportswriter Bob Condotta wrote about the Seahawks Equality Fund, Steve and Katy Jo felt inspired. They let the board know we needed to give a grant to support it, telling us:
"When we read about the fund in the Seattle Times, we called the Seattle Foundation. They directed us to the Seahawks’ Justice Fund website where we discovered that the Seahawk Fund is dedicated to justice, equality and education. We have followed with interest Seattle Times reporter Bob Condotta’s articles about the players, like Doug Baldwin Jr.’s outreach to prosecutors and legislators surrounding the issues of young black men being killed. We believe that they can be effective. They have a platform. They are being leaders; they are being positive and proactive, and we as a foundation want to empower people. We are so happy that we can support them."
|
I shared with our close friend Julia Garratt that our foundation had made the grant. She sent an email to her friend Jessica Martinez who is married to DeShawn Shead, one of the Seahawks: "Steve and Katy Jo lost their beloved daughter Kelly a number of years ago and established a foundation in her name. Even though Steve is facing his own mortality, he was so moved by the Seahawks and their desire to stand united for equality that he authorized a generous grant to this cause. I was so touched by this selfless act, especially considering his own pain and facing his own mortality. Steve is a huge Seahawk fan, like really huge." Jessica and Deshawn worked hard to set up a time to call Steve. Deshawn wanted to reach out to other players too. Unfortunately when they got back to Julia, Steve had died. Julia and I had another idea: What about a thank you note? We could read it at Steve’s memorial. Jessica called the week before the memorial, she had it. She and Julia agreed to meet at a mall parking lot on Friday night December 15, five days before the service. The mall was crowded with holiday shoppers, Jessica had her two small children with her, and the Seahawks were still playing. Julia, a sitting Superior Court judge, drove from the courthouse to retrieve what she assumed was a PR-produced, fairly impersonal thank you note. When she got home, Julia gingerly opened the envelope and stared at the paper inside. It was a letter, hand-written on a white piece of college ruled paper with three binder holes punched out on the side: 
I wept. I knew exactly what Seahawk wide receiver Doug Baldwin Jr. was quoting. It was our very own Kelly Ann Brown Foundation website. The one created in 2011 with my words and the artistic talents of our beloved web designer Mark Woods. On the top of each page of our website is written, "All the things that truly matter: love, kindness, creativity, beauty, joy." It’s from a quote by spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle: “All the things that truly matter, beauty, love, creativity, joy and inner peace arise from beyond the mind.”
|
Doug Baldwin Jr.
I was stunned. We typically receive thank you notes from the nonprofits we have given to. Nothing has looked like this. Doug Baldwin Jr. took the time to Google the Kelly Ann Brown Foundation and read the website so well, he quoted from it.
Mr. Baldwin goes on to thank Steve and Kelly for inspiring others, including him, to forgive always and love, and to live in the essence of all the things that truly matter. He really dug in and got it. Wow. Love and forgiveness are common themes in many of our write-ups where forgiveness is important, like our support of the prison hospice program in Angola and Father Greg Boyles work to help former gang members in Los Angeles. Kelly forgave those that hurt her, she really did. Not many people know how much the board loves our website, but I believe Kelly does, and I know Steve did. Whenever anyone asked him what the foundation was up to, he’d say, “Check out the website. It’s all there.” Bringing this joy, creativity and love full circle, Seattle Times sportswriter Bob Condotta wrote a beautiful article about Doug Baldwin’s thank you letter to Steve. Such a wonderful tribute to our beloved Steve and Kelly. So I come to the end of my story. I thank again, Bob Condotta, Julia Garratt, Jessica and DeShawn Shead, Doug Baldwin Jr and the rest of the Seahawks team. I thank Steve and Kelly too, because I truly believe at the end of the day, Steve-Star and Kell-Star are the inspiration behind this letter. They knew it would bring us joy and that is there wish for us. Click here to read more about the Seahawks Players Equality & Justice for All Action Fund. |
