Christine's Christmas
Channeling grief into giving
By Lia Eastep |
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On April 13, 2003, Mark King lost a neighbor, a babysitter, a woman he regarded as a daughter. Dublin native Christine Wilson was just nineteen when she perished in a house fire that killed four others on OSU's campus.
Like anyone who has lost a loved one, especially a young person, the Wilson family went about the difficult task of trying to create meaning out of their loss. As is custom, people made donations in lieu of flowers.
"The family was instructed to donate the money in whatever way they saw fit," said King, who spoke with me on behalf of the Wilsons. "With more than a thousand people attending the funeral, there was a lot of money."
Christine's parents, Tim and Pam Wilson, started a foundation. The initial goal of providing scholarships to Christine's alma mater, Bishop Watterson, has since expanded to include local children's charities.
When asked to describe the impetus for his own participation, King laughed, admitting his idea came to him while mowing the grass. A radiologist at OSU hospital, King is also an accomplished pianist. In November of 2003, he took advantage of his discounted access to Weigel Hall and spent $200 recording a Christmas CD.
"That $200 has led to over $150,000 raised. I'm pretty proud of that," said King. "The recording then led to a Christmas concert, Christine's Christmas."
"Christine was really crazy about Christmas," said King. "I found that when you pour your heart out, expressing those raw emotions and allow it to really take you over, what comes out is truly magical."
Christine's Christmas will be held on December 5th at Dublin Jerome High School at 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.christinewilsonfoundation.org.
Originally Published: December 1, 2009
