Georgia Magazine - February 2023 - 34

Hometown HEROES
Bob Kelly:
helping one guy at
a time in Kennesaw
By Amber Lanier Nagle
A
simple idea changed the trajectory of Bob Kelly's life a
decade ago.
" I was attending NorthStar Church in Kennesaw, "
the 78-year-old Kennesaw man says. " I picked up a church
bulletin and started reading about Helping One Woman, an
organization in Marietta that supports women during times of
devastating trouble or loss, and that's when I had the idea for
Helping One Guy-or HOG, as we call it. "
Kelly envisioned a Christian ministry with a similar
business model. First, he would select a man facing a
life-changing crisis. Second, he would plan a dinner for
the man and invite people from his church, the community
and members of the man's family and friends to
come. Finally, he would invite the dinner guests to join
him in helping the recipient with both emotional and
financial support. Kelly and his church family launched
HOG in August 2012.
" Our first honoree was Scott Evans, a man who was
battling advanced stomach cancer, " Kelly says. " Forty-two
people attended that first dinner, and we raised over
$1,000 to help with his expenses. It wasn't much, but it
was a start. "
In the following months, Kelly formed a board of
directors to help with decisions; recruited sponsors to
help offset the costs of the meals and entertainment; and
identified more " guys " who needed immediate support.
A decade later, 50 men have been honored, more
than 7,000 people have attended the dinners and
more than $300,000 has been raised to assist these men,
who have been diagnosed with terminal illnesses, lost
Bob Kelly, left, the founder of Helping One
Guy, stands with Josh Webb, who serves as
the group's executive director.
Since the program's inception,
50 men have been honored, more than
7,000 people have attended the dinners
and more than $300,000 has been raised
to assist these men, who have been
diagnosed with terminal illnesses,
lost family members or faced
extraordinary challenges.
Learn more or give
Helping One Guy, Kennesaw
(770) 639-7694
helpingoneguy.org
34 Georgia Magazine February 2023
family members or faced extraordinary challenges.
" And 100 percent of the money raised goes to the
men in need and their families, " Kelly says.
A few years ago, after Kelly's health started to
decline, he began searching for a successor to continue
HOG's mission. He passed the baton to Josh Webb, a
2021 HOG honoree who had survived a brain tumor.
Then in August 2022, on the charity's 10th anniversary,
Webb and the board of directors named Kelly as a HOG dinner
honoree after multiple hospitalizations, the amputations of two
toes and mounting medical bills took their toll on him and his
family.
" I looked around the room and felt the love and support of
all who came to the dinner that night, " Kelly recalls. " It meant the
world to me. "
He says that beyond being a husband to Jane Kelly, a father
to three adult children and a grandfather to five, working with
Helping One Guy has been one of the most rewarding experiences
of his life.
" I've learned so much from my work with [the organization], "
he says. " You have to open your hands to be a giver. You
can do so much for others if you just open your hands and try. "
Amber Lanier Nagle is a freelance writer living in
Adairsville.
STEVE KRUGER
http://www.helpingoneguy.org
Georgia Magazine - February 2023

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