Area performers will be performing a good deed on June 27th to help a theater family in need.
On June 1, Kelly Hennessa, a social studies teacher for children with special needs at Centreville High School, was taking son Carson, 12, out for Effee’s ice cream. Hennessa’s husband, Greg Powell, a local playwright, says their car was “T-boned at an intersection” by a truck and the two were rushed by medevac to Inova Fairfax Hospital. Carson, who was born with cerebral palsy, suffered a cracked pelvis, broken leg, partially collapsed lung, and a concussion, but he is on the mend. He was transferred to a D.C.-area rehabilitation center this past week. Hennessa remains in a coma with a traumatic brain injury. Her prognosis is uncertain.
To help the family with expenses, a GoFundMe page has raised nearly $37,000 (in Canadian dollars) in 12 days; a second one started just a week ago has generated about $14,000 more. This will barely make a dent in the family’s financial burdens ahead, and the emotional and physical tolls are unfathomable.
While neighbors and friends pull together meals, lawn-mowing and other assistance, another group is lending their time and talents for an “I Think I Love You” cabaret benefit to be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at Clifton Town Hall – 12641 Chapel Road, in Clifton, VA. The title is inspired by Hennessa’s teen heartthrob, David Cassidy.
Powell told NBC4 News he has been playing the Partridge Family 1970s hit “I Think I Love You” on his smartphone for his wife while he and their older son, Clayton, keep vigil.
For details or to learn how to help, please contact organizer Lisa Anne Bailey at [email protected].
