In July, Reed Hairston had the profound experience of holding the hand of little Elizabeth King while the 3-year-old from Columbus received her weekly chemotherapy treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Elizabeth, the daughter of Dr. John and Madalyn King, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when she was only 21 months old.
That visit to the pediatric treatment and research facility in Memphis further fueled Hairston’s determination to raise as much money as possible for the hospital by the time she and her family run in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon and Half Marathon Dec. 5. The 16-year-old is doing it with a song. Ten songs, to be specific.
“Holy Ground” is the name Hairston chose for her CD released this weekend to benefit St. Jude.
“I was thinking it would be really cool to not just run, but to do something more to raise money,” explained Hairston. The Columbus Girlchoir member had recently performed a few tunes for the Keenagers group at First United Methodist Church and soon “put two and two together” — use music to fundraise.
The songs are timeless ones: “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand,” “Down to the River to Pray,” “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” and “I’ll Fly Away,” among them.
The project’s name was inspired by Exodus 3:5, “Take your shoes off, Moses, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
“Music has always been my way of speaking to people,” said Hairston. “I hope that, through this music, funds are raised to help families in their time of need at a place that is holy and special to so many people.”
Her parents, Trip and Dr. Bethany Hairston, thought the CD was a creative way for their daughter to help St. Jude.
Reed’s mother said, “It was a joy to watch her do something special with something she truly loves — making music — and, in this case, for a worthy cause.”
Headed toward a goal
The Heritage Academy junior is already one-third of the way toward a fundraising goal of $10,000 by Dec. 5. One hundred percent of profits from CD sales go to St. Jude.
Unlike other hospitals, the majority of funding for St. Jude comes from donors. It costs about $2 million per day to operate the charity and research facility focused on children’s catastrophic diseases. Public contributions provide approximately 75 percent of the necessary funds, according to the St. Jude website. Families never receive a bill from the hospital.
Extra special
Dennis McKay, Hairston’s guitar instructor, recorded “Holy Ground” at his Studio 115A in Columbus.
“I do a lot of recording, but knowing the content of this one and the reason why we were doing it, it was just extra special, and especially for somebody Reed’s age,” McKay said. The process was a smooth one, he added, because Hairston knew what songs she wanted to record and had already worked out the majority of arrangements.
“They were all songs from way back, which thrilled me,” remarked McKay. “And she had done her homework and knew what she wanted going into this project.”
Hairston performs vocals and on guitar. The Sumic Trio — Lucy, Laura and Scott Sandifer of Columbus — contribute violins and cello. Marcia Lovegren plays flute.
Hairston’s mother said, “Dennis’ guidance and instruction in the studio, his contribution on mandolin, banjo and harmonica and his production of the CD led to a musical product we’re all very proud of.”
Photographer Renee Reedy provided all of the photography for the CD cover and website.
For children like Elizabeth King, donors such as Hairston help make life-giving care possible. Madelyn King talked about the role of St. Jude, after her daughter’s chemo treatment Thursday in Memphis — the 92nd of 120 weekly visits required during Elizabeth’s current regimen.
“You meet people from all over the world,” she began. “This is some people’s last hope; they come from everywhere. … It’s truly a Godsend, and it’s in our backyard.”
Help the cause
The “Holy Ground” CD is $20. To hear clips, or to purchase the music, go to projectholyground.com. CDs are also available at The Dermatology Clinic at 724 Leigh Drive, Columbus. Or make a donation to St. Jude by ordering by mail, to Project Holy Ground, P.O. Box 8105, Columbus, MS 39705.
“When I think about St. Jude, I’m inspired by the courageous children who are patients and all the families who benefit from the people who work there to save lives,” said Reed Hairston. “It’s such a magical place. I’d like to work there someday.”
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.