Patrick Burkett Memorial Fund

(Note 09.20.07: I can tell by some of the searches that lead people to this page that they are looking for my husband's twin brother, Patrick J. Burkett, the Michigan attorney who was killed in 2004 by a drunk driver. Our Patrick was named for him and was devastated by his death. We miss them so much and find it so difficult to believe they have both gone on.)

The short version:
A memorial fund has been created in Patrick's name at The Maple Center here in Terre Haute. This fund is designated for community education projects and acquisition of library materials focusing on the utilization of expressive arts for healing work.

Over this last year, people have asked if there was some place to make a donation in Patrick's name. Now there is....

Unfortunately, online donations can only be made by Indiana residents at this time. If you wish to make a donation from out of state, it would have to be via the mail or telephone. Information on making donations is here. They should be designated as being for the Patrick Burkett Memorial. The Maple Center is a non-profit and donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

The first project that this memorial will help to fund is a workshop, scheduled for April 28, entitled Creating a Path Through Grief Using the Arts.

The long version:
As I wrote before, I have been searching for service to do in Patrick's honor. While it would be logical to try to work on substance abuse issues, my experience with Patrick's addictions and their consequences has been so traumatic that I know it would not be healthy for me to be working in that area.

Over this last year, in mourning our loss, I discovered a profound solace and sometimes transcendence in working with expressive arts. I began to think that sharing my experience might be the way to honor Patrick's memory with service. As I explored the field of expressive arts therapy, I became convinced that this was the right path. Art has not only been my healer, but creating music was for Patrick one thing that made his difficult life bearable.

When Lydia Laska (another young adult in our Unitarian Universalist congregation) died in December, a memorial fund was established at The Maple Center for her. There are many artists in Lydia's family and it was decided to use the fund to create a workshop in Lydia's memory, centered on using the arts to deal with grief and loss. I was invited to be on the planning committee for the workshop.

In an act of great generosity, the Laska family chose to share this memorial and add Patrick's name.

As we've worked on this project, Lydia's mom Cathie and I have begun to see this as the beginning of what we hope to be ongoing programs on the arts as healing resources.

So Paul and I are creating a fund in Patrick's name, hoping to be able to continue this endeavor.