Lanni's Harp

The magic of a "God Moment"

From left to right
Back row:
Tammy
Trish (a volunteer at Horses of Hope)
Vallerie (head trainer and riding instructor at HoH)
Allen (owner of HoH)
Front Row:
Lanni's little sister, Bailey
Lanni's Mom, Cristi
Lanni
and Petie, who is a toy poodle who belongs to Horses of Hope!

The story (from Tammy's POV).

The Story of Lanni's Harp

My husband, Stan, and I volunteer at "Horses of Hope" which is a therapeutic equine assisted riding facility. (See www.horsesofhope.com , click on "Kansas"). We've been doing this for five years or more. We have met so many people that we love so much. I never envisioned myself working with persons with disabilities but hey, after the first night I was hooked. These people are male and female, young and old, physically handicapped, mentally handicapped, emotionally handicapped, some able bodied supporters, and many great gentle equines!

One of our riders is Lanni (pronounced LANE-ee). Lanni is 12 years old and was born with spina bifida and is confined to a wheel chair. She has a little sister, Bailey, who is 5 years old. Lanni is very sharp and has great upper body strength. I first had trouble connecting with Lanni…she sometimes wouldn't speak to me. I wondered about her because I think sometimes when these handicapped kids are sharp, like Lanni, they are a little mad at the world. I know that she watches other kids play sports and must feel isolated in her wheel chair. I think I might be mad too if I were Lanni.

I often carried my small 22 string harp to the barn and played for riders and their families while they waited to ride or afterwards. So needless to say, it wasn't a secret around the barn that I'm a harpist.

One evening after her riding session, Lanni approached me, very shyly I might add, and said "Do you think you could teach ME to play the harp?" I was astounded because Lanni is so shy, it was unlike her to initiate a conversation!

The next week, I brought my 22 string harp and we had a short but sweet, harp lesson. As I watched Lanni's face, I saw a different girl. I saw a happy, friendly Lanni. She listened as I told her about hand positioning and she did it correctly! She was playing a C arpeggio before we were done. When we were done, she brought me the case for my harp in her left hand while wheeling herself with her right hand. She helped me put the harp away. I had brought a harp catalog for her mom to look through during the lesson. It wasn't hard to read her face…harps are very expensive. I knew I had to do something to help Lanni find her harp.

I am a member of a yahoo group called the "harplist". I decided to write a message to the harplist. It read like this…

Hi Celtic Friends,
"I'm getting a new harp student...she is 10 years old and her name is "Lainy". Lainy is wheel-chair bound and is a very sad and frustrated girl. She has use of her upper body and arms but cannot walk, run or play sports. I met her at Horses of Hope where my husband and I volunteer once a week. (www.horsesofhope.com) Anyway, Lainy shyly approached me last week and asked me if I thought she could play the harp. I told her I think this is an excellent idea! This could really build her confidence and I think she could be onto something that would bring her great joy for the rest of her life. Her family is financially strapped with three children and one being a special needs child. I'm hoping some of my music friends might help us find a harp for Lainy…a good deal, a cheap rental, maybe a harp donation???

Let's all brainstorm and find Lainy a folk harp. I will give her free lessons for as long as she wants.

Email me if you have an idea!

Thanks,
Tammy Willcox
Miami, OK
Email: harpcrazy @ hotmail.com "

The email below was posted by Lisa Wynn of Edmond, OK…

"I play and teach folk harp in the Oklahoma City area and can verify that this is legitimate. I know Tammy Wilcox personally. She has organized, along with Mary Radspinner, the Neosho River Harp Conference, held in Miami, OK annually. She is a pioneer harper in this remote, Northeastern part of the state. In addition to her harping, she volunteers her time with "Horses of Hope" which is a therapy-riding program for disabled children, which is how she met Lainy. I pray that someone out there can help with her request.

Lisa Wynn
Oklahoma City"

After the postings from Lisa Wynn and myself, this posting appeared from David Drain of Sassafrass Harps…

--- In Harplist@yahoogroups.com, "draindavid" <frass@...> wrote:
>
> If this is genuine, I have what might be the perfect instrument for a chair bound musician.
> My 3 octave Goharp is mounted on a completely adjustable folding stand that can even be
> played in bed.
>
> In a circumstance like this I'd be willing to let her have one for cost.
>
> David Drain
> Sassafrass Harps
> www.goharp.com

Original message was posted on Thursday, October 5, 2006. By the weekend, I not only had David Drain's offer of a small harp at his cost, I had several people email "off list" to pledge their monetary support. One kind lady wrote that she couldn't afford to send a donation, but she would pray for Lanni's harp. I replied and said "AWSOME!"

After beginning to receive pledges via email towards the purchase of Lanni's harp, I told my husband that this is nothing short of miraculous of how people are stepping up to the plate to help this child. I told him if we really have FAITH, we will order this harp and put it on our VISA card before we collect the money. So I did.

The day of the presentation I was so excited. I went to the dollar store and bought a big red bow to put on the case. In addition to my pledge, I lacked $190.00 of having enough pledges to pay off the harp. That's where an angel by the name of brother william comes into play…He emails me and tells me he has collected tip money by carving flowers at the renaissance faire. He will mail me a check for…$192.04! I was laughing and crying at the same time! $2.00 over what I needed. Then I saw my ticket from the dollar store where I bought the bow. The bow was $2.00. I don't know why I'm always amazed by God's plans coming together but I hope I never get too used to it!

By the way, I caught a lot of flack from a few members of the harplist for "harp begging". I was told that it was "inconsiderate" to beg for an instrument. Some people said it made them feel "uncomfortable" that I had posted that message about a handicapped child. One woman from Oregon, wrote to me and said I must not realize that it would be impossible to teach the harp to a child with spina bifida and I would only frustrate her. She went on to say that although harps have a heavenly reputation, they are difficult to play. (Had she forgotten who she is talking to here? Hello? Then the moderator of the harplist wrote and scolded me for harp begging as well.

But you know…so what! I'm not sorry. Several wonderful members of the harplist and other groups pulled together and now Lanni has a harp!

The Day of the Presentation
I wanted to make a party of the presentation so I asked my sister-in-law who has a reputation for her wonderful baking skills, to help me make harp shaped cookies. She made the cookie dough at home and brought it over on Tuesday, October 17th so we could bake and decorate them. We made 4 dozen large sugar cookies in the shapes of harps and iced them with red and white icing. They were beautiful and tasty!

Time Line:
9/29/06 Lanni asks me if I can teach her to play the harp

10/05/06 Lanni's first harp lesson on my small harp

My good friend, Frank Voltz, suggests that we all pitch in and buy Lanni a harp.

My posting on the harplist that got me in trouble with the members and the moderator.

David Drain offers us the red Harmony harp

Money pledged

10/09/06 Talked to Shawn Drain about the red harp. Later that evening talked to my husband, Stan, about "faith" and charging the harp to our VISA card.

10/11/06 David Drain installs levers on the harp and prepares it to ship to Oklahoma.

10/12/06 Shawn calls me…the red hot harp has shipped!

10/16/06 Harp is delivered by DHL to my day job location. Me and my workmates all gather around it…anxious to see a RED harp. We open the box and the harp is amazingly in tune after four days in transit. I play a few songs on it for my workmates.

10/17/06 My sister-in-law, Loretta Campbell, and I bake harp shaped red cookies for the surprise presentation. It's harder than I thought…we are up until 11:00 p.m. icing 48 red harp cookies!

10/18/06 Finally! Horses of Hope night…we arrive at the barn and EVERYONE is wearing RED! Lanni arrives but she is not feeling well. Her temperature spiked to 102 degrees that afternoon as she fights constant bladder infections because of the catheter. She feels better in the evening and they decide to come to Horses of Hope anyway. Whew! I was afraid I would have to keep the surprise for another week. I don't think I could do it.

Lanni has her usual ride…all the while wondering why we have asked everyone to wear red that night. When her ride is over we all go to the room we call the "Bear" room…named after a favorite black lab that used to watch over the riders. This is a room where we congregate before and after riding. It has big windows that look out into the arena where a person could wait in a climate controlled atmosphere. There I have set up the cookies, red twizzlers, red Hawaiian punch and hot chocolate. I have a birthday candle on a cookie. The candle plays the Happy Birthday tune. We had just found out two days before that Wednesday, 10/17 was Lanni's 12th birthday. (I first though she was 10 but she was 11 and turned 12 on the 17th.) Lanni is very surprised we are celebrating her birthday, but still puzzled over the harp cookies and the red. Then I bring out the harp in it's case with the big red bow on the side. Lanni's little sister, Bailey, yells "THAT'S a harp!" Lanni begins to unzip the case and she is thrilled and surprised! Her mom has big tears in her eyes and can't believe what she is seeing. When I told her the harp was "bought and paid for" she couldn't believe it. We set the harp up and Lanni played a gliss. I explained to Lanni that there was actually only "one string attached" to this harp…If she decides she doesn't like to play and wants to quit, the harp will be passed on to another handicapped person. She agrees. I packed up the rest of the harp cookies and sent them home with them. We're going to be planning her lesson time soon. David and Shawn Drain sent her a beginner Christmas book, a music bag that matches the harp and some note stickers. A donation that came in after the purchase of the harp will buy some other exercise books and song books. I think Lanni is off to a great beginning with her harpestry. Stan asked me if I think this is going to work…will Lanni be able to play the harp? I have no doubt! This was orchestrated by God and I don't think he would have taken us this far if this plan was going to fail. I have no doubt that Lanni will become a wonderful harpist and that her music will touch other people to be inspired to achieve their dreams, despite there adversities!

and the story (from brother wiliam's POV).

Lee Agnew, Bard # 406 of the Bards’ Guilde, on 10-04-2006, reposted a request from the the "Celtic-Oklahoma" email group on the BardicRealm Yahoo Group -
I'm getting a new harp student...she is 10 years old and her name is "Lainy". Lainy is wheel-chair bound and is a very sad and frustrated girl. She has use of her upper body and arms but cannot walk, run or play sports. I met her at Horses of Hope where my husband and I volunteer once a week. (www.horsesofhope.com) Anyway, Lainy shyly approached me last week and asked me if I thought she could play the harp. I told her I think this is an excellent idea!
This could really build her confidence and I think she could be onto something that would bring her great joy for the rest of her life.
Her family is financially strapped with three children and one being a special needs child. I'm hoping some of my music friends might help us find a harp for Lainy...a good deal, a cheap rental, maybe a harp donation??? Let's all brainstorm and find Lainy a folk harp. I will give her free lessons for as long as she wants.

Email me if you have an idea!
Thanks,
Tammy Willcox
Miami, OK
Email: harpcrazy @ hotmail.com

The same day, 10-04-2006,Maire Ni Suileabhain, Bard #401 of the Bards’ Guilde, posted this on the BardicRealm Yahoo Group:
If someone wanted to set up a donation site, I'd be willing to chip in financially.....

Just a thought ;-)

Peace
Marie

On 10-05-2006, Chiron WyndSinger/HarperBear/Chiron the bard, Bard #397 of the Bards’ Guilde, posted this on the BardicRealm Yahoo Group:

Let me pass this along to the harplist. There might be something available. Will let you know what I hear.

Brightest Blessings
Jim
Oboe, English horn, Recorder and Folk Harp artist

On 10-10-2006, Chiron WyndSinger/HarperBear/Chiron the bard, Bard #397 of the Bards’ Guilde, reposted this on the BardicRealm Yahoo Group: FWD:

If this is genuine, I have what might be the perfect instrument for a chair bound musician.

My 3 octave Goharp is mounted on a completely adjustable folding stand that can even be played in bed.

In a circumstance like this I'd be willing to let her have one for cost.

David Drain
Sassafrass Harps
www.goharp.com

On 10-10-2006, I (brother william), Bard # 71, Guildmaster of the Bards’ Guilde, posted this on the BardicRealm Yahoo Group:
The donations I get for the flowers I carve usually go to Youth In Need, an organization here in St Charles, MO (www.youthinneed.org) in the name of the faire I am at.

Week 6 Day 3 donations at KCRF (Kansas City Renaissance Fair) I designated towards the harp project.
I have $38.60 to send from donations for flowers I carved.

I challenge any and all bards to match this days "work" if you are able.

brother william
www.brotherwilliam.com

On 10-10-2006, Tammy Wilcox wrote to me:

Hi!

Thanks for sharing my posting...here are the current details...

A harp from Sassafrass Harps is on the way! David and Shawn Drain graciously offered a harp at a very reasonable price. I've got all but $180.00 pledged to cover the cost! The harp has a stand on it that will be perfect to support the harp while Lanni is in her wheelchair. I'm setting up "Lanni's Fan Club" email list to update people on our story. To be on the list just drop me a line and I will include you on updates. It's not just for the ones who donate money but for those who offer up prayers and good wishes as well!

I haven't received any of the monies yet, but stepped out in faith and put the harp on my VISA card already. If anyone else wants to contribute, they can email me at harpcrazy @ hotmail.com and I will respond and let them know if we've reached our goal yet.

Just $180 to go and David and Shawn have also sent books, stickers, etc. I plan to take a photographer friend with me for the surprise presentation and hopefully we can invite Lanni's entire family and keep it a secret until the final moment! We will give it to her after her ride at Horses of Hope. (www.horsesofhope.com)

Thanks so much,
Lanni's friend,
Tammy Willcox

On 10-11-2006 Tammy Wilcox wrote to me:

Thank you so much!

Check with me before you increase your donation as we have almost met our goal. I think we have all but $141.50 pledged...although I've only received $350 in the mail so far.

I noticed your mail came from Celtic Oklahoma...are you a musician as well? Maybe we'll meet someday.

Thanks again,
Tammy Willcox

brother william here - Just an FYI, there were TWO days of faire left and I had already decided that they were to go to the Harp Project. I had NEVER had a $100 day in all my fair experience. The last Saturday was $100.16. The total for the three days was $192.04

On 10-16-2006, Tammy Wilcox wrote to me:

Dear Lanni Fans,

Lanni's harp has arrived! It's red and it's beautiful! I think the stand is going to work just perfectly to support the harp while she plays from her wheelchair...and it is removable if she wants to sit in the floor with it. I will take it home tonight and tune it eventually wrap it in red paper for the surprise presentation on Thursday night. We are baking harp shaped cookies with red icing and will have red Hawaiian punch. Stan just can't stand it, so he has to also make hot chocolate. Everyone at the Horses of Hope barn is going to wear their red shirts. I'll take pictures and send them out this weekend.

Thanks to all you have contributed, whether by money, prayer or well wishes! Thanks especially to David and Shawn Drain of Sassafrass Harps who donated the harp at cost PLUS sent a really cool bag, a Christmas book, an extra set of strings and some stickers with note names on them.

I know one little 10 year-old girl who is going to be very happy! (And I'm sure her parents will be elated as well.)

Tammy

What it all boils down to...

9/29/06 Lanni asks ...
On 10-18-2006 - twenty days later - With help from Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Pennsylvania, (and from my Point Of View) God - Lanni gets a harp.

Just as an aside, for those of you who have read this far, I (brother william) have not met Lanni.
Lanni for me, until I saw the picture emailed to me, was just one of those mythical beings that you read all about on the internet. I took it to faith that this was, as one of the harp makers put it, "for real" and not just another scam for money.

I sent the link to this story to a trusted friend to read over and give me an opinion on before it went live. Her response was about formatting on a few lines, the fact that the "issue with the money got a little jumbled and unclear" and I might want to correct the spelling of Lanni's name to make it consistant throughout.

I corrected the line format.

I know the money part is hard to follow. Think about trusting enough in people you do not know, to cover a sizeable sum of money. With pledges via email? Would YOU have done what Tammy did?

I did NOT correct the misspelling of Lanni's name. If you look at it again, you will see that Tammy went from meeting a child, to getting to know a child, to developing a caring relationship for a child.

Next time you see a post online "Hey! I met a neet kid today...whatif...?" Read on. There might just be the hand of God in it.

A SPECIAL thanks for those who are burried so deep in this story they don't stand out like Tammy and Lanni do, the ones who re-posted the original "what if" message on other lists, and the ones un-named here who donated for the harp purchase.

Stories that happen "about" brother william

So who is the story really about? I'll meet Lanni some day I hope. Someday I hope to meet Tammy. I have met KansBear. And I think in the middle of this, I got to see the hand of God at work.

2Thessalonians 1:11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith

Page last updated February 16^th, 2007