Trent Powers-Medical Fund
Our History:
Kloos Family Lights is a residential holiday light show located at 13 Sterling Court in East Brunswick, NJ. 2016 will be our 12th season. The display was originally established by 10-year old Bill Kloos who is now 22 and is still the lead creator of the display. His brother, Ryan Kloos joined him in 2008 when they transitioned their static light show into a fully synchronized light show to music. Together, Bill and Ryan create a light show each holiday season that has been deemed as one of the best in the nation. Original inspiration for the display came from Bill always stopping by another local decorated home and always wanting his home to look like that when he grew up. In his teenage years, Bill began developing the display with money he earned by opening his own landscape maintenance firm, Landscape Craftsmen. As crowds built up over the years, we realized that this was the perfect opportunity to help those less fortunate than us. We have been raising money for different charitable causes throughout the past 8 seasons. To date, we have raised more than $35,000 for charitable causes including the Hinal Patel Scholarship Fund, Nichol's Family Trust, Wounded Warrior Project, NJ Sandy Relief Fund, Rutgers University Eric LeGrand Believe Fund, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and local food banks. Our display is 100% privately funded and 100% of donations benefit the charitable cause each year. Our family does not take any of the proceeds received.
The Cause:
This year we will be raising money for Two-year old Trent Powers of Helmetta, NJ who was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a rare and incurable disease affecting 1 in every 3500 boys born each year. This 100% fatal disease causes progressive muscle weakness that ultimately leads to life-threatening heart and lung complications. The average lifespan of a child suffering from DMD is mid-to-late 20s. We ask that all visitors contribute towards Trent’s staggering cost for care and help to raise awareness of DMD. Trent attends therapy 3-4 times per week and that will only increase as he grows older. Additionally, Trent is constantly visiting different doctors across the nation for the best treatment possible.
The Smile Behind the Cause:
We chose this cause after seeing Trent's picture on Facebook and reading about his medical diagnosis in depth. We were considering other causes for this season but we kept coming back to this as we kept remembering young Trent's smiling face in all of the photos we saw of him.
To learn more about Trent and his family visit their Website.
The Family:
From the Family: "This diagnosis has been unbelievably overwhelming and heartbreaking for us as new parents.
Our son’s first year of life has been full of doctor appointments, a state of shock and a foggy understanding of why us. We quickly decided to start Powers Promise to promote awareness, educate others and partner with DMD organizations to help find a cure.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support!"
The Kloos Brothers and the Family:
ABC's, The Great Christmas Light Fight:
Kloos Family Lights will be featured on this season of ABC's, The Great Christmas Light Fight! Be sure to tune in on Monday, December 5, 2016 at 9:00 PM to watch our episode. If you miss it, watch it on Demand or at ABC.com. Kloos Family Lights is located at 13 Sterling Court East Brunswick, NJ 08816. The display is open nightly in December from 7:00 - 10:00 PM each evening. Visit our Facebook Page and our Website to learn more!