THE KINKAID SCHOOL
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ALUMNI NEWS
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SPRING 2014
Stacey Kayem ’93 Discovers the “Reality of Potential”
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tacey Kayem is the founder of The Children’s Grand Adventure, a nonprofit that brings patients from Texas Children’s Cancer Center to an experiential learning program in the Teton Mountains. She shares her inspiring journey.
She didn’t know it at the time, but all the paths of Stacey Kayem’s life would converge in 2006 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Stacey came there to do research on hippotherapy, a physical therapy treatment that utilizes horses and equine movement. She was completing her M.Ed. in counseling with a focus in equine psychotherapy from Vanderbilt. Stacey became interested in the field while volunteering at Saddle Up, a therapeutic riding program in Nashville for children with disabilities. “The experience of being on a horse has multiple benefits for these kids,” says Stacey. “They receive physical, emotional and cognitive rewards and build tremendous confidence.”
discovered the Teton Science Schools (TSS), an education and research center that offers experiential learning programs in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Stacey immediately felt drawn to the place and knew she had to get back there. After finishing at Vanderbilt, she took a job in the development office at TSS. She grew passionate about the organization and its work, and she got to know donors and what their interests were. Still, she missed working with kids. Back in Houston in January 2008, Stacey was having coffee with Dr. David Poplack, medical director at Texas Children’s Cancer Center and father of Kinkaid alumni Samara ’99 and Aaron ’01. Stacey knew Dr. Poplack from her prior involvement with Texas Children’s. She was telling him about the programs at Teton Science Schools and how great it would be to bring his cancer patients up there for a wilderness experience. She didn’t expect him to say, “Great idea, let’s do it!” But that’s essentially what happened. Stacey shares, “Before I knew it we were planning the first group of kids to come up to the Tetons that summer.” The Children’s Grand Adventure had begun. Now in its seventh year, The Children’s Grand Adventure brings a group of ten teenagers each summer to Jackson Hole who are “well to travel”—meaning their cancer has been in remission for at least six months. They come for nine days of hiking, rafting, camping, team-building and encounters with wildlife. The kids are accompanied the entire time by Dr. Poplack and his medical team. The doctors help tailor the program based on what each child is capable of, and field guides from Teton Science Schools lead the activities. Everything is paid for through the generosity of donors.
The Children’s Grand Adventure participants in the Teton Mountains
A former rider herself, Stacey entered Hollins College after graduating from Kinkaid in 1993. Though she came to Hollins to ride on the equestrian team, her interest in neuropsychology led her to transfer to Texas Christian University. In college she interned at the Lab School in Washington, DC, working with children with cognitive differences. Stacey learned how using tools like music and art could help reach kids who were non-traditional learners. After graduation from TCU, Stacey was among first hires at Ignite Learning in Austin. Ignite These kids have the creates digital content for schools using Howard confronted life Gardner’s multiple intelligences and brain mapin bigger ways ping. The work at Ignite inspired her to apply to the graduate program at Vanderbilt. During than we can graduate school she interned at Currey Ingram imagine. Academy, a school for children with unique learning styles. “Seeing the ‘reality of their potential’ was a revelation. I realized I loved neuroscience but wanted to be on the ‘people’ side. I wanted to bring this work I’d done in brain research to education and counseling.” In Nashville, Stacey continued volunteering at Saddle Up, which led to her research in hippotherapy and the trip to Jackson Hole. There she
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On Saturday, March 1, alumni from past Once Upon a Mattress productions came to campus from as far as North Carolina to reconnect with each other at a reception and attend the show together. During curtain call, the alumni came on stage and were greeted by current cast members.
Stacey shares, “These kids, whose lives have been previously put on hold because of the rigors of cancer treatment, get to experience travel, nature, introspection, bonding and friendship in one of the world’s most inspiring and unforgettable settings.” Some of them have never been away from home before, which is a challenge for both the children and their parents. But it is enormously liberating as well. Dr. Poplack adds, “We can treat the children, but to have them heal takes more than medicine. This experience has a major impact in terms of improving their confidence and giving them a positive attitude. There’s a tremendous benefit to it.” The “reality of potential” has become a mantra for Stacey throughout this entire journey. “Whatever challenges I face, they pale in comparison to what these kids have overcome,” she says. “I’m an adamant believer in people, especially those who’ve been through the hardest stuff. These kids have confronted life in bigger ways than we can imagine.” When she’s not in Jackson Hole, Stacey spends most of her time in Houston fundraising and coordinating logistics. She feels honored to be stewarding this program and is overwhelmed by its success. “I look back and see how all the paths of my life came together with the creation of The Children’s Grand Adventure,” says Stacey. “I wake up in a dream every day.” Learn more about The Children’s Grand Adventure at thegrandadventure.net.
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