Bret Kelly has spent his life helping other people. Now he needs our help. We are raising funds to cover his medical bills and support his family while he heals.

On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Bret was working on a restoration project at a church built in 1867, just after the Civil War. He was on scaffolding removing old ceiling joists when he fell about 14 feet to the floor.

Take a deep breath before reading this list of his injuries:

-Subarachnoid hemorrhage on the right

-4 mm subdural hemorrhage near the middle

-Multiple facial fractures include a zygomatic fracture.

-Rib 1-3 fractures

-Right kidney laceration (grade 2)

-5th Lumbar spine fracture

-Bilateral wrist fractures with deformities

He is in the hospital in Columbia, Missouri. Bret and his wife, Kim, now face a new road with a great deal of uncertainty.

Bret lives his life to serve others.

Bret has served with the Centralia Fire Department for almost 20 years. He also served with the Boone County Fire Department and spent time on the Missouri Task Force. The vanity plate on his pickup truck spells "rescue" his own way: "IRESQU." It fits him.

At Sunnydale Academy, his church, and in his central Missouri community, Bret is always one of the first to help. Every time I visited, he would tell me stories of a fire or a car accident that occurred in his community and the role he played in easing othersʻ suffering during a crisis. At church he is an elder, served on the praise team, and helped with Sabbath School and Pathfinders. He has helped with school and church remodels, cut down trees around campus, and filled in when maintenance staff were out and he has worked on many projects at Camp Heritage.. He actively looks for people who need a hand.

Every year, Bret travels to Honduras with a mission team to build and expand a school and church. Many other mission trips came before that and just two days ago, while laying in the hospital bed he told me about the next one he desperately wants to be a part of.

Most of all, Bret is a grandfather. He has six grandchildren. They are his pride and joy. He loves to read them stories and play outside with them. He built a trail in the woods so he can take them on "adventures."

All funds will go directly to Bret and Kim. The money will help with medical bills, lost income, and the cost of recovery. Our hope is that this support will ease the financial pressure so their family can focus on Bret's healing.

Bret and I were neighbors in high school and have remained best friends since. I am organizing this page because he has always been the first to show up for others. Now it's our turn to give back to him.

Bret has given so much to other people - to his entire community. If you are able, please donate, please share this page, and PLEASE keep Bret and his family in your prayers. Thank you.

David Earles, organizer