In July 2009 Gateway Community Services suffered a tragic loss when longtime friend and board member Kevin J. Moody passed away after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 53. Kevin had served on Gateway's Board of Directors since 1998 and was continually involved in making our community a better place. As an employee of the law firm Miller Canfield, Kevin was an expert in Native American law and also served as pro bono coordinator for the firm. As a member of Gateway's Board of Directors, Kevin donated countless hours of pro bono legal work as well as helping to raise funds for all of Gateway's programs. Kevin is survived by his wife Nancy, daughter Maureen, and son Nolan.
 Kevin graduated from Kalamazoo College, where he played football, and earned his law degree from from the University of Detroit Mercy. In May 2009 The Lansing State Journal wrote a piece about Kevin and his son Nolan, who is a pitcher for Michigan State's baseball team. Nolan had just thrown Michigan State's first no-hitter in 16 years, and Kevin was watching from the stands. "I cannot articulate what it means," said Kevin, "I see him play inspired, I believe. And it touches me to the core. When he threw that no-hitter, he was in tears, I was in tears, and he came over and gave me a big hug. It was almost like, 'Here, that's for you dad.' "
As a tribute to Kevin, Gateway's Board of Directors voted unanimously to rename the Crossroads shelter in his memory. The Kevin J. Moody Youth Home will now stand as a testament to Kevin's life, and his spirit will continue to provide people with hope and encouragement. As former board member Knud Hansen put it,
The Kevin J. Moody Youth Home is a transitional living shelter that can provide shelter for up to 15 runaway and homeless youth at a time. Youth are not only provided with shelter, but also taught skills to help them live independently once they go out on their own. Youth are also provided with case management, counseling, education and employment assistance, food, transportation, etc. In addition, youth are required to complete community service hours, which allows them to give back to the community for the help they are receiving.
Youth from both our Higher Ground and Crossroads program are eligible to stay at the Kevin Moody Youth Home. We believe that giving these youth a role model such as Kevin will help them to better themselves and their community by following his example. |
