In light of the upcoming Father’s Day weekend, I dedicate this week’s KellyGram to my father, Garland F. Kelly. My dad was born at his home in Pleasant Shade, VA in 1924. He was the youngest of ten children, and his father died of pneumonia when he was three years old. Dad went to school until the 8th grade but had to drop out because his brothers were all at war serving in the United States Army, and my grandmother needed help in keeping a roof over their head.

My dad initially went to work in a grocery store nine miles down the road in my hometown of Emporia, VA. He worked there for five years, then began a career that spanned almost 40 years working for the town’s Jewish merchant in his department store. There were no chains back in that day, and almost every southern town had a Jewish merchant. This Jewish merchant, like all the rest spread through the Southeast, was a very hardworking, industrious and brilliant man who at one point owned almost half of the town. He took dad under his wing, and dad had a wonderful relationship with the Bloom family for all those years. After his relocation to Columbia in 1984, my dad worked another 20 years in a men’s clothing business, where I worked as well through high school and college.

My dad was short on formal education but nonetheless was incredibly wise. He taught me many things but drilled in my head three very important rules to live by. First and foremost he taught me, “Mike, we Kelly’s are working men!” Secondly, “Mike, we Kelly’s are Ford men!” Thirdly, “there is no future in an ugly woman!” (LOL!) I took these rules to heart and they have served me well.

My dad passed away in 2008 and is buried St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church alongside my mother and late wife, Anne Garrison Kelly, and I miss them all every day. Thank you, Garland F. Kelly, for being the most wonderful dad! I love you!

This week I want to celebrate the blessing of my first born son, Patrick Michael Kelly! He made his life debut 33 years ago this past Wednesday on June 8, 1983! He has brought me years of continuous joy and happiness. I am very proud of all his accomplishments and especially his passion for theatre.

Patrick was bitten by the acting bug in Middle School at Heathwood Hall and has pursued his passion ever since. He has acted, directed, served as stage manager, appeared in several movies, and now he will be returning back to Columbia from New York with his wife of two years, Martha Hearn, who has a passion for theatre as well. Martha and Patrick received their undergraduate degrees in Theatre from the University of South Carolina and both went on to get their Master’s degrees in New York. Martha will be involved in the theatre here, and both will be teaching the art of theatre to others.

Columbia is a great central location to obtain theatrical roles all over the Southeast, which has become a hotbed for producing movies and TV shows. Patrick will be starring in the upcoming Playwrights’ Festival at Trustus Theatre in the play Anatomy of a Hug. It will be on the Thigpen mainstage from August 19 – August 27, 2016. Please be sure to catch Patrick on his return to Columbia.

For twenty-five years, I exercised on a regular basis and jogged up to twenty-five miles each week. As often happens, I got out of the groove and was starting to feel the effects of “Father Time”. When I looked at my son Patrick’s wedding pictures, I saw that I needed a makeover!  Almost two years ago, I made the decision to get back to taking care of myself. I am going to be an old man, but I refuse to be an unhealthy old man!

I went to my longtime friend, Chris Hardwicke, who is a brilliant and very fit 60+-year-old. He spent several hours with me, educating me about a proper diet for someone my age. Since that time, I have lost 40 pounds and have been able to maintain my weight. He also encouraged me to enroll in his comprehensive exercise program, known as Frontier Movement. You can get more information and read Chris’ phenomenal story by visiting www.frontiermovement.com.

Currently, we are focusing on my balance, core strength, and flexibility. Prior to my lifestyle change, I was unable to bend down and read a putt on the golf course but now I am pleased to report I am able to golf like a twenty-five-year-old.

I strongly recommend that all my friends engage in weight management and maintenance and age appropriate exercise. Thank you to Chris Hardwicke and his staff for changing my life!

“America is hope. It is compassion. It is excellence. It is valor.”
-Paul Tsongas

For some, Memorial Day is simply an extra day off from work or a long weekend at the beach. Some get so enthralled in the festivities, they forget to acknowledge the meaning behind this special day. Previously known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day originated in 1968 and was created to be a day when the United States of America joined together to decorate the graves of those who were killed in battle. Although I never served in the military, I have great respect for those who sacrificed everything so that I may live in freedom.

As Memorial Day nears, my hope is that we will make a concerted effort to remember and appreciate those who have given up their time, health and, in many cases, their lives not only on the last Monday in May, but every day!

To those reading this KellyGram who have served or continue to serve, THANK YOU! Thank you for having the courage and bravery to wake up each morning and serve our country!

To those reading this, who have a family member in the military, THANK YOU! Thank you for sacrificing time with your loved ones so that they may protect our freedom! And to those of you with loved ones who sacrificed their lives defending our liberty, you will stay in our hearts and prayers as this day comes and goes.

I have written before that I am blessed to love the job that I have had for the past 39 years – that is being a personal injury, worker’s compensation, disability, and insurance litigator. The Social Security Disability program is backlogged badly (second only to the Veteran’s Disability program, which has an even greater backlog). Recently, the Social Security Disability administration has made a bold effort to reduce the congestion. This means that two attorneys in my Columbia office, Lisa Cotten and myself, have lots of hearings in 2016.

For example, I had three Social Security Disability hearings this week, at least two of which were successful. Contrary to popular belief, there are many more deserving people that do not receive Social Security Disability than there are people who do receive these benefits that should not. We carefully screen our Social Security Disability clients to make sure that we only represent those individuals that have a deserving claim and that are unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity. For example, one of the hearings today concerned a client who had an excellent work record until she became stricken with cervical disc disease, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Suddenly, after working hard all of her life, she could barely perform the basic activities of daily living. She lost her job and faced severe financial hardship. My client very much deserved to receive the government support that she had paid through decades of hard work, and it is extremely satisfying to be able to help deserving women like this.

Thank you to everyone who has referred clients to me over the years. I am very humbled when a former client, friend or neighbor refers someone to me, and I take the trust they have placed in me extremely seriously. I am also proud to have one of the best legal teams that I have ever been affiliated with, working each and every day for the Mike Kelly Law Group and its clients. Thank you for allowing me to serve!

Please do not ever say to yours truly “there is nothing to do in Columbia!” There is something fun, interesting and entertaining to do every single day in the Columbia Metropolitan area. This week we have numerous opportunities to enjoy, educate and enrich our lives. Those of us who sit at home and complain have no reason to do so. One example of some fun to check out is the Forest Acres Festival this weekend. The City of Forest Acres does an excellent job of Community activities. Some other events going on this week are the Palmetto Mastersingers Spring Concert (05/13), I Love the 90’s Tour (05/13), Art and Draughts at the Columbia Museum of Art (05/13), Relay for Life – Lexington County (05/13), the Pirates of Penzance Jr. children’s comedy (05/14), and SO MUCH MORE! Check out these links (http://www.free-times.com/ and http://www.thestate.com/entertainment/local-events/) to find more activities that are going “down” in a “City Apart”!

Several years ago, I had the privilege of serving on the Board of the Central Carolina Community Foundation. I served on the Board for six years, two of those as Board Chair. I got to see what a dynamic and marvelous organization Central Carolina Community Foundation is from an inside perspective! Not to take too much credit, but I chaired the search committee that selected JoAnn Turnquist to be our new President and CEO. She has brought an amazing set of skills and talents to CCCF, and has taken it to the next level. For its size, CCCF is one of the most well-performing community foundations in the nation. JoAnn has assembled a top notch team to help her primary goal of making the Midlands “philanthropy pie” bigger.

One of the things I am most proud about in regard to the Mike Kelly Law Group is that we are active in our communities. We all feel blessed to have our health, our families and our careers, and our mindset is such that because we have been given much, we must give much! I must confess that, as the founder of the law firm, I push giving back to our communities, but I have also assembled a group of people with like minds that appreciate their many blessings from the Almighty Above.

It’s baseball time in Columbia, South Carolina, and you have three options for collegiate and professional baseball – the Lexington Blowfish, the Gamecocks, and the Columbia Fireflies, who have just started their season at Spirit Communications Park. Today, I’m going to focus on my experience at Spirit Communications Park. I had the opportunity to attend opening night at the park, courtesy of Ron and Pam Smith, good friends of mine from Winnsboro. Last Tuesday I visited as a guest of my buddies Jack Wolfe, Dana Wolfe, Taylor Wolfe, and Stephen Taylor of Wolfe & Taylor Realtors. They brought 20 of their best guy friends out to the park in a reserved seating area with great views.

One of my first mentors, outside of my dad, was Eugene C. “Jeep Deal”. He worked in the paper mill across the state line in Roanoke Rapids, NC. Jeep Deal was good at everything and I was lucky enough to have him as my Scoutmaster! Troup 10 met at Main Street Methodist Church and during my 4 ½ years as a Scout, I made it to Life Plus (but discovered girls and did not make it to Eagle). Oh, how I wish that someone would have pushed me to Eagle! It is a lifetime achievement I wish I would have accomplished.

I went camping many times to Camporee, as well as summer camp at Champ Chanco on the shores of the historic James River. It’s on the Surry, VA side of the river looking over the Jamestown Monument.

Becoming a Boy Scout taught me about leadership, responsibility, character, and values. I also learned a lot about myself and things that interest me, such as American culture, aviation, and serving others.

My Boy Scout experience has had a lasting impact on me and made me into the man I am today! I will cherish those experiences until the day I die and I would encourage everyone to recognize the immense value of scouting to young men and women!