Marnie Kennedy uses fundraising to inspire others; atone for the past | Horry’s Angels

Whether it’s raising money for cancer, running a benefit for those impacted by Hurricane Matthew or collecting canned goods for area middle-school children, Marnie Kennedy’s name has been behind it.

The Island Bar bartender in Surfside Beach admits part of her inspiration to help others comes from setting a positive example for her son, but also, in part, to make up for a sometimes rocky past with her mother.

Kennedy has been the brains behind Karaoke for a Cure – a fundraiser for Caring for a Lifetime, a local group that raises money for breast cancer research – for the last six years.

“I started because, honestly, I wasn’t the best daughter,” Kennedy said. “We didn’t have the best relationship. Being Jewish, atonement is a thing for us. I had started Karaoke for the Cure as a way to atone after she passed away. I just kind of had to make it right, so I felt the best thing to do was to start something in her honor.”

The benefit started modestly – a handful of raffle prizes and several people showed up to raise $1,000. But her desire to give didn’t stop at Karaoke for a Cure, which happens once a year on a Thursday in October.

When she was PTO president at Forestbrook Middle School, she started a non-perishable food collection for the children there. That effort continues to this day, well after her son graduated.

Kennedy also coordinates a Thanksgiving potluck dinner at Island Bar, which helps collect items to send to military members overseas.

She also assisted with a benefit this year called Under the Wings of an Angel, which helps the Sons of God with non-perishable food collection for the hungry in our community.

And when Hurricane Matthew hit this year, Kennedy stepped up to raise funds for the Rosewood community, where many residents lost nearly everything.

Kennedy’s spirit of giving prompted Cindy Grace to nominate her for The Sun News’ Horry’s Angels this year.

“She is always thinking of others and trying to help those in need, which rubs off on the patrons at the Island,” Grace said. “All of the benefits have been successful.”

Kennedy said she found that Karaoke for a Cure was a venue for those who wanted to help, but didn’t know how.

“It kind of made me this beacon to inspire other people to get involved,” Kennedy said. “I found that people wanted to help, but didn’t know how. Not everybody wants to run a 5K. Not everybody wants to be in a golf tournament. Not everybody can write a check for $1,000 and go to a fancy dinner. So, what if I can find a way to let people help, but not make them leave their comfort zone? So, drinking and spending money and having fun in a bar was kind of natural and it just kind of fell into that.

“They’re making a difference without leaving their comfort zone.”

Kennedy said she realized she was having an impact on her son when, in junior high school, he wrote a paper about how inspirational she was with all the things she does for other people.

“As a parent, they don’t always tell you how they feel,” Kennedy said. “His teacher called and said, ‘I think you should hear this.’ So, that was one of my objectives was to pass on to him this need to look outside of yourself and realize that we have so much to be grateful for.”

And Kennedy is seeing the results in the longevity of Karaoke for a Cure. The event raised $9,000 in four hours this year, which was split between Horry County Fire Rescue, which received $2,000; $2,500 to the local American Red Cross for Hurricane Matthew; and $4,500 to Caring in Our Lifetime.

Because of the community’s generosity, Kennedy said she finally feels she made a difference.

“I think I have finally left my mark,” Kennedy said. “I feel my legacy is finally there. I feel that I’ve raised enough this year that I’ve finally made an impact.”

But there’s no end in sight.

“I have no intentions of stopping,” she said.

Kennedy said as far back as she can remember, she’s always been one to take care of others.

“I’ve always kind of had that want to take care of everybody else and not really take care of myself,” Kennedy said. “I know how sometimes the simplest things can make somebody’s day… Just to give somebody a smile, to make somebody laugh, there’s no better feeling than that.”

This story was originally published December 22, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Marnie Kennedy uses fundraising to inspire others; atone for the past | Horry’s Angels."