Meet Dream Chasers 21: Making a Difference in Lives

By Tana Poncsak

An old proverb states, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” This proverb seems to ring true for Lorri Brown, founder of Dream Chasers 21, located in Buford, Georgia.

Lorri grew up in Meridian, Mississippi, and was the daughter of some very giving parents. She recalls it was commonplace for people to knock on their door at any given hour. As a curious child and the youngest of nine, Lorri asked her mother why they had so many visitors at all hours of the day and night. Her father, self-employed and well-to-do, was also generous, and Lorri’s mother explained to her that the visitors were people in need. But Lorri still couldn’t understand “Why our door?”

Years later, she not only figured out why, but she finds herself doing the same thing – helping others. For Lorri, it started with helping the homeless; but over time it has grown to include anyone who has a need, including the many families in the area.

“After three years of helping the homeless, we started encountering people who said their children were hungry,” Lorri said, adding that a child cannot concentrate and excel in school if hungry. So they started helping families, too. She also said she wants to do more to help seniors living on a fixed income.

Several businesses have partnered with the nonprofit Dream Chasers 21, started by Lorri and her husband, Randy, as they work to help others. But the organization recently lost the building where they offered a food pantry.

Currently, they help others individually and on a larger scale through Grace Point Community Church, but they are looking for a building or space to provide a more permanent food pantry for those in need. They

Malerie’s Hope: Helping Fight Childhood Cancer

By Tana Poncsak

Malerie Moulder was eight months old when her parents, Mike and Marla Moulder, were told she had a brain tumor. They were given the statistics, but Malerie’s mother, Marla, said at that point, they knew they had a God that is much bigger than statistics.

After many surgeries and grueling hours of intense therapies, including occupational, speech, and physical therapies, Malerie defied the odds. But the road to Malerie’s recovery wasn’t easy. “She was very, very sick for a long time,” Marla said, “and we decided that I can’t just wasn’t an option.”

The tumor was attached to Malerie’s brain stem, which according to WebMD, is the lower portion of the brain responsible for controlling a large number of the body’s automatic functions essential to life. Malerie’s treatment included a delicate surgery where surgeons removed about 80 percent of the tumor. Since then, Malerie has had regular MRIs, and Marla said that within a year post-surgery, there was no evidence of any remaining tumor. The good news – today Malerie is tumor free and thriving.

While the surgery was a success, Malerie experienced many complications, including total paralysis on the left side of her entire body, vocal cord paralysis causing the need for Malerie to be tube fed for two years following the surgery, and the development of hydrocephalus that caused fluid and pressure on the brain, which meant the need for more surgeries to place a shunt to relieve the fluid and pressure.

Marla estimates that between shunt revisions and other surgeries, Malerie had an estimated 35 to 38 surgeries in the first thirteen years of are also looking for trucks that will allow them to be more mobile and get to more people in need of their services.

According to Lorri, the nonprofit served 8,399 people in the last year. “With the economy the way it is –gas prices are high, groceries are high, and people cannot afford the higher rent,” Lorri said. “Because the rent amounts have increased, people are struggling, and I just feel that as a community it’s up to us to help. I’m going to do my part even if I have to do it alone. People are in serious need.”

Lorri gets weary at times, but then a child comes up and hugs her after getting a fruit cup, and she keeps on going knowing her motivation and determination comes from a higher power. “I tell everybody this is not me,” she says. “This is God.” her young life. Her last shunt revision was in January 2011.

And her generosity has been recognized by her neighbors. Last year Lorri was nominated for the Nextdoor 100 for her actions in helping an injured homeless man.

In the YouTube video, featuring Lorri and her nomination for the award, she said it makes her feel awesome to be nominated.

“It lets me know that what I’m doing is touching lives,” Lorri said.

Lorri has a flexible job working as a personal shopper, and her husband, Randy, is retired and helps out with the nonprofit, along with a couple of their children from the blended family. The organization holds BBQ fundraisers from time to time to help bridge some of the gaps when it comes to financial needs, but they can always use more.

More information at https://dreamchasers21.org/.

As one might imagine, finding the proper support early on was important. The Moulders had the support and help from family and close friends, especially Malerie’s grandparents. But they also found support in several organizations as well.

“One of the biggest things for us was getting involved in organizations early on,” Marla said, adding that it’s critical to get plugged into organizations for help. She pointed out that such groups as FOCUS and CURE Childhood Cancer, along with those that provide respite care, are vital to families in similar situations.

Even now Malerie is still prone to neurological apnea, so she requires oxygen, a pulse oximeter, and constant monitoring while she sleeps. That means she’s never been to a sleepover outside of family and a very few select family friends in her life. She can’t drive a car and relies on her parents, her brother, Michael, and friends for rides. And as a result of all that Malerie has endured, she will always have global developmental delays and disabilities.

But Malerie continues to amaze her family and others with the same determination and tenacity she demonstrated as an infant to beat the odds to become the young woman she is today.

“She beat the statistics,” Marla said. “She has gone on to defy the odds and has done many things that the professionals in her life said she would never do.”

Despite the circumstances, Marla said she realized how fortunate her family has been as she saw other families face similar circumstances. It’s because of this that she said she wanted to use Malerie’s story to make an impact, not only when it comes to childhood cancer, but for those with global delays and disabilities as well.

In 2017, Malerie’s Hope was formed, a nonprofit located in Buford, with a threefold mission: to find the cause and cure for childhood canContinued on