The word inspiration doesn’t even begin to cover what Kelly Gallagher, second grade teacher at the Upper Moreland Primary School, and today’s #TeacherTuesday, brings to school each day. After having the experience of rarely seeing her older children or husband while spending most of her time in the NICU after the early birth of her twins, Kelly was struck by inspiration. She wished her family had had a chance to connect to the newborns too and knew that other families felt the same way.
So Kelly created the non-profit “SuperHero Project.” It began with her making goodie baskets for parents of babies in the NICU and branched out to fund raising to purchase and donate Angel Eye Cameras to Holy Redeemer Hospital. This enables families to see their preemies when they can’t be at the hospital. While relatively new, these cameras are already changing lives.
So what motivates Kelly? “Inspiration is all about your perspective on any given circumstance. I am inspired by the innocence of our youngest children and their willingness to love unconditionally. I work hard to lead by example, to laugh and learn and to always start every day with a clean slate,” she says. When you hear that her seven-year old students are moved to donate money from a lemonade stand, knit hats, and raid their own piggy banks because they are proud of her work, you have to say they have an amazing role model.