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Spaghetti and Sisu

Second annual event brings community together to share memories, raise money for Kivela Legacy Fund

Cookies decorated with the Finnish flag and the Great Lakes Recovery Centers’ logo at Monday’s Spaghetti and Sisu event in Marquette are pictured. (Journal photo by Cecilia Brown)

MARQUETTE — Many gathered together to honor the late state Rep. John Kivela at the second annual Spaghetti and Sisu event Monday.

The event, which was held at the Messiah Lutheran Church in Marquette, celebrated the memory of Kivela while raising money for the John Kivela Legacy Fund administered by the Great Lakes Recovery Centers Foundation.

It was the first time the event was held in Marquette, organizers said, as the inaugural event was held by state legislators in Lansing last year in conjunction with the launch of the John Kivela Legacy Fund.

“We’re fortunate that really a group of family and friends of John came together last year and wanted to find a way to honor his legacy,” Great Lakes Recovery Center CEO Greg Toutant said.

The John Kivela Legacy Fund supports treatment and advocacy efforts for addiction and behavioral health disorders through Great Lakes Recovery Centers. It aims to help communities by caring for individuals who struggle with behavioral health and/or addiction disorders, organizers said.

“I’m so glad that we’re keeping that vision and the legacy that John started alive,” said state Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan. “And that a lot of this has to do with strengthening communities — because of these struggles that people have with behavioral health, mental health, substance abuse — those are all things that are adversely impacting our communities as well.”

Over $14,000 was raised during last year’s event, with a total of $22,000 raised for the fund in 2018, Toutant said.

The fund’s first disbursement was to the agency’s Compassionate Care program, which “provided access to treatment for some folks that wouldn’t have had access otherwise,” he said.

Kivela, D-Marquette, took his own life on May 9, 2017, after a struggle with alcoholism. The event gave attendees a chance to come together and reminiscence about Kivela’s life and legacy while supporting services that can help others who face similar battles.

“As we walk away and remember John Kivela, the best thing we can do to honor that legacy is maybe be more empathetic. And understand that maybe somebody else has some troubles too,” said Marty Fittante, a former state Legislature staff member who is currently the CEO of InvestUP.

Attendees also heard from several speakers who knew and worked with Kivela, with many stories shared about Kivela’s generosity, kindness, community-mindedness, sense of humor, as well as his ability to unite legislators, communities and individuals for a common good.

Kivela was a “a very loving person toward those he worked with and certainly everyone here in the district,” said state Rep. Sara Cambensy, D-Marquette.

One of the first people Cambensy met after being elected to the seat was a Republican legislator who told Cambensy about the profound impact Kivela had on him.

“He sat down and he said, ‘It’s so nice to meet you, I have to tell you how much I got along with John, how much I miss him. And here’s what he did for me: he was a person that I looked to when I needed help — when I was weak, when I was having a bad day — he was someone I could call at any hour of the night to get me through anything,'” Cambensy said.

Many stories about Kivela’s generous and caring nature were shared, including a story about Kivela paying to get a constituent’s dog out of the pound and arranging to get a local man who had a terminal illness on the field at a Green Bay Packers game.

“He had the ability — through that generosity and through those instances of love in demonstrating such a giving heart — to touch so many lives,” Fittante said.

Organizers want to see the event and the fund live on in perpetuity to celebrate Kivela’s life and provide services to those in the community who may not otherwise be able to access them.

“Our hope is that each subsequent year this event will continue to grow. We’ll have other events throughout the course of the year that can help give dollars into the fund, so that we can keep the legacy going,” Toutant said. “Because John really was all about uniting communities and uniting people to find solutions to some complex issues. And it doesn’t get any more complex in terms of what addiction does to families and to communities and people in crisis. I think this is a good way to keep his legacy and his spirit alive.”

For those who wish to donate to the fund or learn more, visit www.kivelalegacyfund.org.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255.

Cecilia Brown can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248.

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