Tom Kelley, left, welcomes Brian Youn, MD, critical care medical director, St. Joseph Hospital, to the podium to recognize the work he and the St. Joe burn team provided during his recent hospitalization at the St. Joseph Regional Burn Center. St. Joseph Hospital CEO Kenneth Jones looks on from the side. (Photo provided)

FORT WAYNE — Fort Wayne-area business leader and sports legend Tom Kelly, president of Kelley Automotive Group, has made a record-breaking donation to the Burn Council of Northern Indiana. His $100,000 contribution was announced at the St. Joseph Regional Burn Center, Fort Wayne, where Kelley recently spent eight days battling a rare, life-threatening condition, Stevens-Johnson syndrome. 

In acknowledgement of the specialized care he received at the center and to help patients and families from across the tri-state region who are in need of support and assistance during and after treatment, the donation was presented to representatives of the burn council and the burn center.    

“We cannot adequately express our gratitude to Mr. Kelley for this commitment,” Chris Weidler, board president, Burn Council of Northern Indiana, said. “Not only will his gift be the largest in our 14-year history, but his generosity will go a long way in aiding burn prevention efforts and helping survivors get back to normal.”

The St. Joseph Regional Burn Center celebrated its 41st anniversary in 2015. It is northeastern Indiana’s only verified burn center and one of only three in the state. The burn center is verified by the American College of Surgeons and the American Burn Association, a rare, elite distinction for a program offered outside of a university setting. The center provides adult and pediatric burn care.

The Burn Council of Northern Indiana is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that exists to help children, adults and families affected by a burn incident in northern Indiana, northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan. It accomplishes this by providing financial, in-kind and other assistance to survivors and their families. The Burn Council also operates the Burn Family Suites, a hospitality area devoted to families of patients being cared for at the St. Joseph Regional Burn Center.