The legacies of Matt Kell and Cathy Spehn are the heart and soul of New Day Foundation for Families. In 2007 this 501(c)(3) nonprofit was co-founded in memory of Matt and Cathy by their surviving spouses, Michael Spehn and Gina Kell Spehn, who married and blended their families that same year. Motivated by their personal experiences, Michael and Gina started New Day at the kitchen table with no nonprofit experience, but with a deep desire to help families cope with the financial and emotional burdens of cancer.
The Spehn’s assembled a Board of Directors made up of friends who had hosted the first annual Matt Kell Memorial Golf Tournament and helped lay the groundwork for New Day. The origins of New Day are told in Michael and Gina’s New York Times bestselling memoir, The Color of Rain, which also became a Hallmark Original movie in 2014. Their story continues with their son, Sam Kell, who was diagnosed with glioblastoma (brain cancer) in 2015. He is in treatment at MOTT Children’s Hospital and doing well.
To purchase The Color of Rain book or DVD on Amazon:
Color of Rain or for Kindle
Color of Rain DVD
To purchase the book or DVD on Barnes & Noble.com:
Color of Rain BOOK
Color of Rain for NOOK
Michael and Gina personify the beauty that God can bring out of the ashes of sorrow.
— Kathy Lee Gifford
Host, NBC’s The Today Show Fourth Hour