A 61-year-old longtime resident of Fort Dodge, former business owner, and dedicated wife and mother, Fleming was diagnosed with ALS two years ago in May. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is an incurable, but treatable, progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Even though Fleming is undergoing treatment for ALS, her physical mobility has deteriorated significantly over the past few years, largely confining her to a wheelchair. Additionally, she has been experiencing mounting out-of-pocket medical expenses, straining her family’s budget.

Many of Fleming’s friends and supporters held a charitable benefit on her behalf April 12 at the Laramar Ballroom. Laurie Wagner, who helped organize the event, said that more than 250 people attended and thousands of dollars were raised in donations.

“The benefit was awesome,” Wagner said. “We surpassed our goal, which was amazing.”

-Submitted photo
Pictured from left in front are Barb O’Brien, Cheryl Fleming, Cooper Fleming, Marcie Lentsch and Claire Madden. In back from left are Margie Fleming, Betty Geist, Kathy Allen, Deb Kiliper, Renee Kapustka, DJ Parker Heyerhoff, Tina Heyerhoff, Laurie Wagner, Paulette Heddinger, Jenny Shivers, Ira Shivers, Judy Williamson and Deanne Elbert.

Fleming said that she initially resisted the idea of having a benefit. However, many of her close friends and family members kept encouraging her to have one, mainly because of her growing medical bills and mobility problems. One of the most important goals of the benefit was to raise sufficient funds to purchase a wheelchair-accessible van for Fleming.

“The committee started out as a group of my closest girlfriends; it never would’ve happened without them coming together to make the benefit a success,” Fleming said. “What started out as a small group ended up with hundreds of caring people who joined forces for the benefit.”

Fleming expressed her deepest gratitude for the large outpouring of both emotional and financial support that she received at the benefit event.

“I often find myself thinking back to the benefit, especially seeing so many people – some I hadn’t seen in years,” she said. “The generosity shown that day was overwhelming, and because of it, we were able to purchase a van that has truly changed my life. What stays with me most is the way everyone came together and the kindness in the room that still touches my heart.”

The close friends of Fleming who organized the benefit include Wagner, Renee Kapustka, Deb Kiliper, Paulette Heddinger, and Sheila Border. Fleming’s relatives involved in the benefit’s planning include her sisters-in-law, Margie Fleming, Judy Williamson, and Barb O’Brien; her niece, Jenny Shivers; and her two adult children, Claire Madden and Cooper Fleming.

As a facilitator of the organizing committee, Wagner recalls that she met with the group on a regular basis to discuss ideas and plan the event.

“We had a small core group who mailed letters to local companies, and phoned and texted them about our benefit,” she said. “We also went around town and dropped off flyers and asked for donations. And we had our committee messaging others with group texts, so that each donated item was documented on a spreadsheet.”

As the “Team Cheryl” committee reached out to the community, a larger social network formed that emerged in support of the benefit.

“Many people who were completely new to our network stepped forward to support the benefit, including friends of my mom that she hadn’t seen in nearly 20 years,” Madden said. “It was incredibly moving to witness how quickly and generously people rallied around her.”

The committee consensus is that the success of the benefit is due mainly to three factors — organization, awareness, and communication.

“For months in advance, we contacted a big group of volunteers to help with setting up on the day of the benefit, serving food, working on the bake sale, staffing the registration and cash tables, and assisting with anything else we needed,” Wagner said. “People genuinely wanted to help. Everything we did was out of love.”

Contacting mass media outlets and utilizing social media platforms were instrumental in disseminating information and raising awareness about Fleming’s medical plight and the related benefit event, several committee members said.

“I believe the success of the benefit can be attributed to several different things, including the Facebook posts that were shared by many folks, the flyers that were placed around town, the radio interview with Jay Thomas on Mix 94.5, and the great article in the Messenger,” Heddinger said.

Several committee members also credit the assistance they received from Grace Lutheran Church as important to the benefit’s success.

“The church was very generous by donating to the benefit and spreading the word,” Wagner said. “We even had a ‘group huddle prayer’ with Cheryl and her family right before the benefit, conducted by Pastor Dan Kahl, which was amazing.”

Many committee members attribute the success of the benefit in part to Wagner’s role as a facilitator in encouraging teamwork within their social network.

“The vision and leadership by Laurie, the countless hours contributed by volunteers, the large number of things donated, and the wonderful attendance, were a true testament to everyone’s collective efforts,” Border said.

Several committee members revealed that they had never been involved in planning a charitable benefit previously, but found their participation to be rewarding.

“This was the first and only benefit I had ever been involved in,” Kapustka said. “But it was worth every minute of the hard work that we put into it. Most of all, we were able to give something back to a wonderful family.”

Other committee members added that the benefit’s success was related to the familiarity and devotion that many people feel towards the recipient.

“Cheryl is well known and liked in the community through the businesses she’s owned in the past,” Kiliper said.

“The love and support that Cheryl and the Fleming family received was overwhelming and was a testament to how loved and respected they truly are in the community,” Heddinger added.

Thus, several interconnected factors came together by the day of the benefit. As Shivers said, “The success of the benefit can be attributed not only to Cheryl herself – her loving nature, outgoing personality, and the genuine way she connects with others – but also to the dedicated committee of friends who worked tirelessly and were truly devoted to making the day happen.”

Williams agrees, noting that the benefit project was effective largely because of the friendship-based social network surrounding Fleming.

“Her friend group worked so hard to make it great,” she said. “Cheryl is loved by so many and everyone wanted to help her. I’ve never seen so many people at a benefit before. Everyone wanted to be on Team Cheryl.”