April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
ST. CLEMENT'S/SPA CATHOLIC
Saratoga family band raises $60K for Leukemia Society
Saratoga family band raises $60K for Leukemia Society
Soon, however, they convened in the basement music room, complete with guitars lining the walls and a raised stage with an American flag hanging behind a drum set marked "KAKT3."
The trio took their places -- Kenny and Bella on guitars, Joey on the drums -- and began to play, smiling and having fun.
The Kakatys have had relatives who were diagnosed with leukemia and lymphoma. When the kids' father, Joe, was nominated a few months ago to be the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's "man of the year" -- part of a fundraising competition -- he decided to involve his whole family in getting donations for the LLS.
That included his wife, Josey; Kenny, a 14-year-old student at Saratoga Central Catholic School; and Bella and Joey, ages 12 and 10 respectively, who both go to St. Clement's School in Saratoga. The family attends Mass at both St. Clement's and St. Peter's parishes in Saratoga.
Taking notes
All three Kakaty siblings are musically inclined. Kenny, with help from his siblings, decided to write an original song with the same title as the LLS slogan: "Someday Is Today."
"When you're chasing yesterday, hoping that the rest will stay, pray to God that you will see someday is today," the lyrics note. The song was recorded and made into a music video that has garnered 2.3 million views on YouTube.
The mention of God isn't surprising. The Kakatys value faith and family as major tenets of their daily lives. Mr. Kakaty said giving back is part of a Catholic education and also part of their close-knit family: "Josie's 100-percent Italian, and I'm Middle Eastern, Catholic from the Middle East. And so, we kind of have that ethnic thing going on."
In fact, Mr. Kakaty's parents, two brothers and their families all relocated to Saratoga Springs in recent years and live in nearby neighborhoods.
For several years, the Kakaty kids have had a band called KAKT3. For the competition, where each dollar raised counted as one vote, the trio performed at 10 Saratoga Springs locations over a 10-week period.
At the gigs -- mostly at restaurants like the Parting Glass, Gaffney's and the Seven Horse Pub -- KAKT3 played a full set of uplifting songs, closing with their original tune. Audience members were provided with a web link they could use to make a direct donation from their smartphones during the show, and there was also a 50/50 raffle and a donation jar.
KAKT3's second performance was held at Spa Catholic, Kenny's school. "Pat Douglas is in charge of the drama department there, and she headed up an open mic, and invited us to be the sponsor and the opening act. That was nice," said Mrs. Kakaty.
The children were also especially touched by responses of people from far away who saw their music video online and made donations to the LLS.
Money from everywhere
"We were seeing locations for people donating -- places like Ohio and these small towns. People [were] giving money and they don't even know us," Kenny said. "It shows us how big of a deal this cause is, and it felt really good."
Joey and Bella were in charge of collecting for the 50/50 raffle.
"I felt good to raise money for important things, and it's also fun to play music," Joey reflected. The young drummer is known for his signature fedora hat he wears while playing: "It's my look." As the band's lead singer, Bella enjoyed talking to the audience and telling them about the fundraiser and KAKT3's message.
"People from the street walking by would come and watch us for a little bit," said the singer, who was also surprised that the crowd often cheered the band on to play one more song.
All told, the endeavor raised more than $60,000 for the LLS. Mr. Kakaty won the "man of the year" competition. Though the donation period for the contest is officially over, the Kakatys are still raising money for various charities through the donation link for the foreseeable future.
Family pride
The project also brought the Kakatys closer as a family. Rehearsing, recording, setting up for gigs and performing made for a great deal of quality time, as well as a few challenges.
"One of the things we learned by doing this together [is] that it's not about us," Mr. Kakaty told The Evangelist. "We would remind ourselves that this is not that difficult, what we're trying to do, compared with what other people are going through that are dealing with an illness."
Mrs. Kakaty, who works as a lunch monitor in her children's schools, said she was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the fundraiser.
"It strengthened us as a family unit, which is important," she says. "It strengthened our faith, too. It strengthened our relationship with the community and spreading the word. And it taught our children the meaning of doing something for others."[[In-content Ad]]
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