Photos courtesy of Tri Village Studios
Since it began in 2006, Discover the Dream has raised a whopping $3.4 million for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and has sold out its 700 seats for the last eight years. And it all started right in Upper Arlington.
On May 12, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will host the 11th annual Discover the Dream gala in benefit of St. Jude, complete with zoo animals, St. Jude patient speakers, dinner and drinks.
Lisa Khourie and David Karam – siblings, co-chairs and founders of Discover the Dream – have a storied past with St. Jude. The pair’s father, Joe Karam, was involved with the founding of St. Jude itself, and being involved in fundraisers and events in support of St. Jude was part of their growing up. Having worked with St. Jude since childhood, “it was in our blood,” says Khourie.
“We’ve all been involved with St. Jude the bulk of our life, so we found a number of ways to support the work of the hospital,” says Karam. “The inspiration – if you will – that developed out of the desire to achieve, raise awareness and make money for St. Jude, and Columbus is a very generous community in support of St. Jude.”
Discover the Dream showcases patients’ stories and the work done at St. Jude by inviting patients and their families to speak at the event, and invites the families back to the gala each year.
“Listening to the patients up there on stage, knowing that we see some of them from year to year because they survive … their families come to the event still because we invite them,” says Khourie.
“My preference is for all the focus to be on the children that not only have been treated, but the ones that have overcome cancer and the illnesses that they have been treated for and the souls that didn’t make it and their families,” says Karam. “St. Jude is a place of hope, but there’s also a lot of suffering that comes from there.”
The hospital, founded in 1962, is a nonprofit pediatric research and treatment hospital based in Memphis. The hospital is based on the premise that “no child should die in the dawn of life,” and covers the cost of treatment of a variety of illnesses, from leukemia and lymphoma to sickle cell disease to HIV.
“It’s not just that the children are treated and cared for, but all the costs associated with that,” says Karam. “Transport or housing or meals or providing for the continuing education of the child – these are all things provided at St. Jude for children who are typically among the sickest children in America.”
As a community event, Discover the Dream has helped Karam and Khourie form lasting relationships with patients, their families and organizations within the community – a headliner being Jack Hanna, director emeritus of the zoo. Perhaps the biggest reason Hanna and his wife, Suzi, ended up in Columbus was so their daughter Julie could receive treatment for leukemia at St. Jude through Nationwide Children’s Hospital. After Discover the Dream’s inaugural year, when it was held at the Ohio State Fairgrounds, Karam approached Hanna about becoming a part of Discover the Dream. Hanna is now honorary event chairman with Discover the Dream, and the gala has been held at the zoo ever since.
“I would say that the relationship with Jack Hanna and Suzi Hanna and their daughter Julie is probably one of the most important in my life,” says Karam. “The good fortune to become one of their good friends has been a rich reward for me and for my wife.”
Because of its laid-back nature and zoo locale, Karam and Khourie believe the event is one Columbus area residents look forward to each year.
“They’re at the zoo, they’re by the water and I think that people have become passionate about the event as well,” says Khourie. “We have been so blessed to sell out at 700 people every year.”
“I just cannot begin to describe to you the emotions that you feel at these families and patients that come, and the gratitude they feel,” says Karam. “They want to make sure the people who are supporting St. Jude know how much they appreciate it, and it is a place of hope. That’s what I would say is the most rewarding part of this event.”
Amanda DePerro is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
