Kimberly O'Connor

Just a few people in my life know that I am a board member for a nonprofit called Jade Kids. Jade Kids is a 501c3 nonprofit run by one of the most important healers in my life, Judi Terrill. I first saw Judi, an acupuncturist, on April 29, 2014, the very same day my husband was in Oklahoma witnessing the insanely horrific, botched execution of his longtime client. (If you don’t know about this episode in our lives, you can read about it here in the Atlantic and here and here in two early versions of poems I wrote about it.) I don’t think it was coincidence that I met Judi on that day. Her medicine came in to help me survive and grow through a tough period of my life.

I decided it’s time for me to share this part of my life! Over the last decade, Judi’s medicine has helped me to become happier, healthier, and about a thousand times more free. I see Judi in her private clinic, but in her nonprofit, she and a handful of other wonderful practitioners treat children and teens experiencing medical, mental or trauma-related symptoms, regardless of their family’s ability to pay. You can read about some of these children and teens here.

In this season of Black Friday sales and holiday shopping, I’d like to step in with an offer for a different kind of gift. For any of my readers who donate $100 to Jade Kids, I’ll write a poem for you. You tell me the subject, and as many details as you like, and I’ll write an original poem.

In the past when I’ve done a similar project, I wrote poems about people’s children, their childhoods, their favorite holidays. I wrote love poems and poems celebrating the lives of passed loved poems and poems to give as gifts. Funny, happy, celebratory, serious–if you can tell me what kind of poem you want, I’ll write it!

If you’d like to participate, first donate to Jade Kids here by December 10, and then email me at kimoco704@gmail.com to let me know about your donation and to request your poem. As a bonus, if you donate $150 to Jade Kids, I’ll turn your poem into a collage print you can frame.

If you donate by December 15 and want to give your poem to someone as a Christmas gift, I’ll commit to sending you the file (for $100 donations) by December 21 or mailing the print (for $150 donations) by December 18.

And one last thing–if 10 or more of my readers donate, I’ll write and post a new year haiku here on the blog for every day in January 2025!

Thank you for considering supporting this amazing, healing resource for kids in need in the Denver area.