EICUsurprises local mom withGarth Brooks concert getaway
East Idaho Credit Union surprised a Shelley mother with something she set out to do more than two decades ago.
EICU asked people on social media over the last several weeks to nominate friends or family who have experienced tough times and deserve a break with a Garth Brooks concert getaway.
For Kelsey Countryman of Shelley, it will be the conclusion of something she set out to do 21 years ago and didn’t get the chance to complete.
At age 6, Countryman went to Salt Lake City with her aunt and uncle to see Garth Brooks in concert when she was hit by a car in the parking lot of their hotel just an hour before the concert. She was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery to repair her broken femur and stabilize her leg. Countryman ended up missing the concert and hasn’t been able to see Garth Brooks since.
“We knew we had to change that and help finish her goal by getting to that concert,” said Toby Hayes, vice president of marketing at East Idaho Credit Union. “With close to 200 nominations, we read through tales of tremendous heart break, but knew this would help Kelsey come full circle and give her a needed break.”
Countryman is the mother of three children under 3. She and her husband just recently had their middle child diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.
“If anyone deserves a break, it’s Kelsey,” said Rhonda Newman, Kelsey’s aunt who accompanied her to the hospital 21 years ago and nominated her for the getaway. “My husband and I are already going to Boise to see Garth and we had invited Kelsey to go with us. She told us that she would love to go, but she couldn’t afford it and would rather spend the money on her kids. That’s when I knew she was so deserving of this.”
An East Idaho Credit Union representative showed up at Kelsey’s house on Friday morning, and along with Newman, surprised her with the $700 value package that includes gas, food, a hotel stay and two field level tickets to the June 20th concert at Albertson’s Stadium in Boise.
“It really is the perfect ending to a bitter-sweet story,” said Hayes. “We are so excited that we got to help someone’s dreams come true today.”
