If you had told Jennifer Thomas that an event organized last year in the memory of Lawson Dody would turn into a new event to benefit Lawson’s new brother, Landon, Thomas wouldn’t have believed you.
Lawson and Landon Dody are the sons of Aron and Blythe Dody. Lawson was stillborn in December 2005. Friends and co-workers of the couple decided to have a “Spring Forward” event in Lawson’s name to benefit Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death or MEND.
Landon Dody was born earlier this year with an ileum atresia, which is a blockage in his small intestine. The blockage occurred early during Blythe Dody’s pregnancy and it killed a small part of the intestine. Landon had to have part of his intestine removed and is set to have surgery next week to reattach his small and large intestine at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.
The second Spring Forward event will still help MEND, but also will help pay the costs the Dodys are amassing with Landon’s medical condition.
“It’s very important to Blythe and Aron to still honor their firstborn son, Lawson, through this event,” said Thomas, health promotion program director at Emporia State University. “We will still have a representative from MEND present to explain their purpose and accept donations... Due to their (Dodys’) circumstances with their newborn son, we also have to focus our efforts on what needs to be done for the family now.”
To precede the Spring Forward event, which will be at 6 p.m. April 12, at ESU, the Health Promotion program is starting a community-wide “change war.”
“We want to get as many businesses, service organizations, families and academic groups involved as possible,” Thomas said. “We’re encouraging them to do ‘change wars’ for the next month.”
Thomas said businesses and organizations can make a container (water cooler jugs work really well) and set it out in a high traffic area where people will pass it.
“Hopefully they will see it and fill it with their spare change or bills,” Thomas said.
Donations will be categorized into bronze, silver, gold and platinum levels. Bronze will be $25-$50; silver $51-$100; gold $101-$500; and platinum is over $500.
“After the event is over, we will then take all the names and have them put onto a plaque that the Dody family can keep and so that Landon will always have a permanent record of those who rallied to his cause,” Thomas said.
A fund for Landon has been set up at the Emporia State University Federal Credit Union. Money from the change war should be taken there and not taken to the event, Thomas said. A bank receipt can be taken to the event so that names can be added to the plaque.
This year’s Spring Forward event at ESU will begin with a two-mile walk/run like last year’s event. Following the walk/run, there will be snacks, prize give-aways and activities like a rock climbing wall, dunk tank and pie throwing contest. There will be a different layout this year as most activities will be down in the old tennis courts and in free parking or up at the HPER building.
There will be a $1 entry fee for the walk/run. Those who want to stay and participate in the other activities can purchase a $5 bracelet which allows them to participate in as many activities as they want, Thomas said. The proceeds will be given to the “Landon Dody Fund” at the Credit Union. Registration to the events starts at 5 p.m. on April 12.
Aron Dody said he is grateful for the community’s generosity.
“Blythe and I would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming support and generosity,” Dody said in an email. “I am amazed by the number of times Landon's website has been visited. We are very blessed to live in a community such as Emporia, and to be surrounded with so much love and positive energy. The cards, emails, words of encouragement, and guestbook entries on Landon's website have truly helped Blythe and I get through this difficult time.”