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Christopher Sparks (Don & Leigh's oldest son) and his
wife, Emily, are both teachers in the Wallingford/Swarthmore
School District. In June 2005, Christopher and a friend, both
students at the time at Vassar College, went on the famous
Catholic Pilgrimage through Spain, the Camino de Santiago.
Also known in English as the Way of Saint James, it is a
network of pilgrims' ways serving pilgrimage to the shrine of
the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de
Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain. Tradition has it
that the remains of the saint are buried. Many follow its routes as
a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth. It is
also popular with hiking and cycling enthusiasts and organized
tour groups. The Pilgrimage took 40 days to complete and they
stayed in churches and monasteries along the way.
"I would like to teach the world" ... In September 2000, just
after marrying, Chris and Emily journeyed to India where for
10 months they taught English at a monastery located at the foot
hills of the Himalayas, near the border of India and China. They
learned to speak Hindi fluently; there were 5 different religions
involved in this monastery.

headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida to Wilmington, Delaware.
He rode 900+ miles in 9 days and raised $100,000 for the
Nemours Foundation with the hope of saving more children's
lives. "Please remember that each day when you wake up, you
are making choices of what you will do that day. Choose to
make a difference!"
Still choosing to make a difference, Steve left Nemours in
July of 2016 and currently serves as General Counsel for the
Hershey Trust Company/Milton Hershey School. The Milton
Hershey School is a private philanthropic boarding school in
Hershey, PA, founded and funded by chocolate industrialist
Milton Hershey and his wife, Catherine. The school was
originally established for impoverished, healthy, male orphans,
while today it serves more than 2,000 students of various
backgrounds. With over fourteen billion dollars in assets, the
Milton Hershey School is one of the wealthiest schools in the
world; and, as a member of Coalition for Residential Education
(CORE), it is the largest residential education program in the
U.S.

Kaitlin, a now healthy, 26 years old, is creating
"sparks" of her own ... Residing in Jacksonville, FL,

she works as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst; Kaitlin is
helping children with disabilities. She attended UCLA and Nova
Southeastern University before settling in Jacksonville. She
strives to give other children the same opportunities she had as a
young girl.

Give Kids the World
and They Give Back
... Kaitlin Sparks Goes
Over the Edge!

Steven Sparks, Esquire ... "Sometimes we find our
purpose and sometimes, our purpose finds us." Steve Sparks was
a young successful attorney working for Eckell Sparks, when a
bruise on the back of his three-year-old daughter's leg changed
his priorities and the direction of his life. The bruise led to a
doctor's visit, a diagnosis of leukemia and an uncertain future for
Kaitlin. For three years, she received chemotherapy and other
treatments at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children
in Wilmington, Delaware. With the help of compassionate
doctors, caregivers and family, Kaitlin's leukemia was cured.
Forever changed by the experience and inspired by the
'heroes' at Nemours who saved his daughter's life, Steve felt
he could not go back to business as usual. He felt there was
something else he was meant to do and that something else led
him to join the Nemours Foundation. Steve served as Senior
Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the
Nemours Foundation where he brought Kaitlin's story and his
purpose to work every day. And fast forward, in celebration of
Kaitlin's 21st birthday, Steve rode his bicycle from Nemours

22 | Summer 2018

February 2018. In an
extreme fundraiser "Over
the Edge," close to 70 brave
participants strapped on a
harness, set aside their fears
and stepped off of the roof of
the Hyatt Regency Orlando
to rappel 428 feet straight
down. This fundraiser gives
participants a spine-tingling
way to raise money for "Give
Kids The World Village" and the chance to experience a oncein-a-lifetime rush. Kaitlin Sparks, a Village Alumni, took the
plunge ... "While I had some anxiety about rappelling all that
way, I would do it a thousand times over if it meant I would be
helping another family experience the joy that my family and
I got to experience at the Village," she said. "Sparks will be
flying" again in September 2018, when the family reunites for the
Village's Annual Gala in Orlando, FL.

Give Kids The World Village, for which Kaitlin's father
Steve serves on the Board of Directors, is an 84-acre, nonprofit
resort in Central Florida that provides weeklong, cost-free

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