Richard Brandell and Joseph Sweeney Recreation Fund

The Richard Brandell and Joseph Sweeney Recreation Fund was established by Sweeney’s daughter and Brandell’s wife, Mary Ellen. After Dick’s death in 2006, Mary Ellen was looking for a way to keep his memory alive in the local community. Both her husband and her father were very involved in the community, and both were sports enthusiasts.

As parents of seven children, the Brandells understood what the cost was to keep their children active and involved in sporting activities in the community.  “Playing sports was expensive when I was growing up; many school programs didn’t exist. Kids had to register and pay to play with kids in the community,” said Kathleen Mumford, their daughter. Mumford recalled her mother thinking “there have to be other families facing the same issue; not having the funds to get their children in after school programs.” It was this thought that inspired Mary Ellen to create a fund to support after school programs like the one at Morey Courts, to keep kids out of trouble, active and healthy in the name of her father and her husband.

The primary purpose of the Richard Brandell and Joseph Sweeney Recreation Fund is to provide support to the Cultural and Recreational Commission of Isabella County – Morey Courts Recreation Center for after school fitness programs that utilize leadership development strategies and health education to achieve the goals of: improving the fitness level of our youth; decreasing childhood obesity; and enhancing the self esteem and self confidence of youth in our community.

The future of this fund is one of promise. The Brandell and Sweeney families hope to keep their legacy alive by supporting activities that would make their father and grandfather proud.