Sledge Grits Band Moving Forward
Donation protected
He dreamed of them selling out Madison Square Garden, headlining Budokan in Japan and becoming the best Pop band to ever rock a stage. Mr. Grits was a visionary, extremely focused, somewhat of a poet, an overall "good dude", but most of all, he was a "World Class" dad! Regretfully, Kelly Jo Sledge, affectionately known as Mr. Grits or KJ, father of the all-sister, pop group The Sledge Grits Band did not live to see those dreams materialize.
Mr. Grits passed away Monday, July 11, 2016 at the tender age of 39 after valiantly battling multiple sclerosis for more than 17 years. We are asking for your kindness in assisting his beautiful and extremely talented daughters (ages 14 to 21) with your donations, as they are now faced with providing for themselves and their mom.
It was KJ's income that has been the only constant for their family. Now there are lingering medical bills, the immediate challenges of providing for themselves and most importantly secure their future by achieving their dreams and honoring the legacy of Mr. Grits. Please help them take care of the expenses associated with Mr. Grits' passing.
Things have always been challenging for The Sledge Grits Band and their family, but they have never complained. Other than Mr. Grits' obvious disabilities, you would never know their struggles. As a result of his illness, coupled with his mother dying from breast cancer, the family lost practically everything and had to move across the country under very difficult circumstances to step in and help his younger brothers.
To comfort their very young daughters and take their minds off of their hardships, Mr. Grits and his loving wife, Wendy, put the girls in guitar classes. As fate would have it, they flourished! When they decided they wanted to become a band and pursue music professionally, it was Mr. Grits on the frontlines taking them to shows, figuring out how to acquire instruments and other equipment, helping the youngest bo-Pah learn drums through YouTube videos, building equipment and props from scratch and anything else you could imagine. From the beginning, he made certain the girls learned their business and the hard work required, in order to make their way.
As the band developed, the girls became good, very good! Keiko 21 plays guitar and writes songs; Ella 19 plays bass; Mimi 16 is the lead singer, plays guitar and keyboards; and bo-Pah 14 plays drums. They have performed on The CBS Early Show, won COZI TV's "Next Great Family Band" competition, appeared on the number 1 rated music program at the time, BET's "106 & Park" among many other accolades. The Sledge Grits Band was on the verge of achieving their dreams and then tragedy struck once again.
Despite their hurdles, this family approaches life with great joy. They have never asked for a handout and have worked extremely hard to develop their skills and talents just to have an opportunity to compete. Please help us to lend a hand in what is now their new reality. In the spirit of an old, wise adage, if you "help them to fish", they can "feed themselves for a lifetime"
PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS AND HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Mr. Grits passed away Monday, July 11, 2016 at the tender age of 39 after valiantly battling multiple sclerosis for more than 17 years. We are asking for your kindness in assisting his beautiful and extremely talented daughters (ages 14 to 21) with your donations, as they are now faced with providing for themselves and their mom.
It was KJ's income that has been the only constant for their family. Now there are lingering medical bills, the immediate challenges of providing for themselves and most importantly secure their future by achieving their dreams and honoring the legacy of Mr. Grits. Please help them take care of the expenses associated with Mr. Grits' passing.
Things have always been challenging for The Sledge Grits Band and their family, but they have never complained. Other than Mr. Grits' obvious disabilities, you would never know their struggles. As a result of his illness, coupled with his mother dying from breast cancer, the family lost practically everything and had to move across the country under very difficult circumstances to step in and help his younger brothers.
To comfort their very young daughters and take their minds off of their hardships, Mr. Grits and his loving wife, Wendy, put the girls in guitar classes. As fate would have it, they flourished! When they decided they wanted to become a band and pursue music professionally, it was Mr. Grits on the frontlines taking them to shows, figuring out how to acquire instruments and other equipment, helping the youngest bo-Pah learn drums through YouTube videos, building equipment and props from scratch and anything else you could imagine. From the beginning, he made certain the girls learned their business and the hard work required, in order to make their way.
As the band developed, the girls became good, very good! Keiko 21 plays guitar and writes songs; Ella 19 plays bass; Mimi 16 is the lead singer, plays guitar and keyboards; and bo-Pah 14 plays drums. They have performed on The CBS Early Show, won COZI TV's "Next Great Family Band" competition, appeared on the number 1 rated music program at the time, BET's "106 & Park" among many other accolades. The Sledge Grits Band was on the verge of achieving their dreams and then tragedy struck once again.
Despite their hurdles, this family approaches life with great joy. They have never asked for a handout and have worked extremely hard to develop their skills and talents just to have an opportunity to compete. Please help us to lend a hand in what is now their new reality. In the spirit of an old, wise adage, if you "help them to fish", they can "feed themselves for a lifetime"
PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS AND HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Organizer and beneficiary
Francine Marseille
Organizer
La Mesa, CA
wendy sledge
Beneficiary