Something For Kelly

Motivated by her niece’s – Kelly Burk Nobbe – untimely death in 2009, Patti Geolat has created a national foundation to empower children ages 6-12 to fight their predisposition to eating disorders.

“Although we knew that Kelly was battling this monster, we could not fathom that she could go to bed one night, after what seemed like a normal day, and not wake up. The Foundation has been established to prevent this tragic and needless loss from happening to other families.”

The mission of the Something for Kelly Foundation is to empower children ages 6-12 to take control over their predisposition to eating disorders. Through its programs and services, the foundation aspires to create a mindset shift in children with a predisposition to ED, assist them in recalibrating their relationship with food, and motivate them to voluntarily choose a healthier direction.

We believe that no child is born with an eating disorder; that we all enter this world ready to have a healthy relationship with food, given the right environment – a nurturing family, an inclusive society and the right external influences.

We believe in addressing potential eating disorders as early as age six to prevent a harmful and possibly intractable eating behavior from taking hold.

We believe that anorexia and overeating are two sides of the same coin. The symptoms can take root and be visible in children with this predisposition as early as six years old. By age 12, if left unaddressed, a child’s predisposition can evolve into a disorder that can become life-threatening.

We believe that a predisposition to eating disorders is caused by a complex web of environmental, biological and social factors. Family conflict, harmful examples of consumption projected by the media, peer pressure, ethnic customs and cultural habits can all play a part in tipping the balance between a healthy relationship with food – and an unhealthy one.

We believe that the compulsion to take control of an amount of food consumed is not the cause of an eating disorder; it is the result. Children who try to control their food intake are responding to something in their surroundings that feels toxic to them.

We believe that a wholesome approach to eating disorders is possible, and our goal is to offer a selection of programs that will help individuals and families facing this challenge.

Through its programs and services, the Something for Kelly Foundation aspires to:

1. Create a mindset shift in children with a predisposition to ED
2. Recalibrate their relationship with food
3. Motivate them to voluntarily choose a healthier direction

Something for Kelly Foundation is the next generation in nonprofit foundations. Our intent is to reach cultural, inter-generational and international audiences.

If you are interested in learning more about the Something for Kelly Foundation, please go to our website at www.somethingforkelly.org or contact us at: