The D.J. Countess Dream Keeper Foundation held its inaugural fundraising dinner Monday night, and it was a rousing success.

The night included dinner, a speech by Utah's first lady, Mary Kay Huntsman, and a silent and live auction.

The event helped raise over $15,000 for its cause of helping children. Just another step for the new charity that began shortly after Countess was picked by Real Salt Lake in the MLS Expansion Draft

"I had just come to Salt Lake when my friend, Darren LaPorte, called me after reading an article about a little girl here in Utah," said Countess. "I read about Colby Christensen and how she was trying to raise money to get a treatment. I figured that I had always been blessed, and this was a chance for me to give something back at some capacity."

The article that touched Countess talked about how the 4-year-old Christensen was selling Christmas cards to offset an expensive treatment for her rare form of cerebral palsy. The family was trying to raise enough money to send her to Poland, the only place where the procedure was performed.

What the goalkeeper did was ask that an appearance fee he was to receive be given to the girl instead of himself. It was the beginning of a friendship with Colby, and an idea for helping not only Colby but other children that need assistance in the area.

"My parents always taught me that I needed to be thankful and show appreciation for the things I was blessed with," he said. "I got here to Salt Lake, and I just love it here. This is where I want to be for a long, long time. Once I was here, I figured there's not a better place anywhere to start a foundation."

That idea has grown into a charity that will help countless people. Besides the inaugural dinner, the foundation has plans for some major drives. The arrival of 20,000 "dream keeper" wrist bands is expected at any time, to be sold for $1 each. Water bottles with the charity's logo will be sold with all the proceeds going back to the children.

On Aug. 15 the first-annual Dream Keeper golf tournament will be held at Thanksgiving Point, and over Labor Day weekend there will be another fundraiser.

"I first started this thinking to help Colby," Countess said. "But after helping her some, I realized how many children there are out there that could use our help."

With the training and travel and games, Countess' time is a valuable commodity, so spending it doing something for nothing in return is commendable. Countess, however, does not feel it is that much of a sacrifice.

"It's not easy," he said. "It has been a lot of work, a lot more than I expected, but it is so worth it. All the work I put in , and all the time it takes, it all pays off with just one smile from Colby."

---

E-mail: mblack@desnews.com