Kalea's Dreams live on in Twin Rivers-based charity

Losing a member of the Twin Rivers R-X community is causing a positive ripple effect.

Kalea King, 16, passed away in January, but now her parents are working to give back to a community that supported her.

Kalea had a rare genetic disorder known as DiGeorge syndrome. People with DiGeorge syndrome are missing a chromosome.

Kalea King, 16, passed away in January, but now her parents are working to give back to a community that supported her.

“She was really, really cherished in our community down here,” her father, Bobby King, said. “Me and my wife had been thinking of ways to give back to the community.”

As a result, the couple has started a charity in her name, Kalea’s Dreams, that is focused on giving back to the community that supported Kalea.

Along with being a Twin Rivers cheerleader in middle school, Kalea was part of the special education program.

“A lot of the teachers really took good care of her down at Twin Rivers and kind of took her under their wing,” Bobby said. “We were just looking for a way to give back to that area. We’re in a poor school district, some of the farmers have money, but the majority of people down there … we just live in a poor district.”

The first step for Kalea’s Dreams was a $2,500 donation to the Twin Rivers R-X special education program. Bobby said it’ll hopefully be a drop in the bucket.

“That’s our main focus,” he said.

However, the charity also helped fundraise to benefit a local teenager with autism, Hunter, who has the opportunity to throw the first pitch at a St. Louis Cardinals ballgame on Aug. 7.

“We donated $500 and we actually have raised a little bit more money, so I’ll be able to donate almost $1,000 to get him to St. Louis,” Bobby said.

In the long run, the Kings hope to make regular donations for the Twin Rivers R-X special education program through fundraising efforts, collecting donations and personal contributions.

For instance, he said, they have a pecan orchard and hope to sell those in the fall.

Bobby said they also plan to sell hanging strawberry baskets in a few years, once they’re able to get that project going.

“That’s one of the investments we’ve made to try to bring in money,” he said. “We’re trying to get a couple streams of revenue going so that we can donate every year.

“I’d like to make enough money that we could donate twice a year. That’s kind of ambitious, but if you’re going to do it, you might as well shoot for the stars.”

They’re running a fairly “cut and dry” operation, King said, and it isn’t an elaborate deal.

“It’s not real fancy,” he said. “It’s just kind of gritty, get your hands dirty to raise money for these kids kind of deal.”

Kalea’s Dreams can be reached on Facebook, where people can reach out if they want to donate to the efforts.

“I’ve had to download all kinds of money transaction app,” Bobby said. “I didn’t have any and now I think I’ve got every one out there.”