Nine-year-old Max Bonnstetter’s dream is to follow in the footsteps of his idols, men’s basketball players Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry, though not necessarily on the basketball court.
After seeing pictures of the men’s basketball team volunteering with patients at the Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center through the Monday Life, Bonnstetter decided to forgo gifts for his birthday March 8. Instead, he decided to collect donations for the Monday Life, a nonprofit that develops programs that will help patients feel better, such as music therapy.
“I look up to all of the Duke players,” said Bonnstetter, a self-described diehard Blue Devils fan. “They are great students, great players and great people that like to help others.”
At his birthday party, Bonnstetter collected $440 by requesting that friends donate to the Monday Life’s website rather than bring him presents. Although he said he was happy with the turnout, he wants to continue collecting until he reaches his goal—initially, he was striving to raise $500, but witnessing the difference that his dollars can make has made him more ambitious. Bonnstetter is now aiming to collect $1,000.
For every $25 raised, the Monday Life provides a child with 30 minutes of music therapy. “I just really feel like there are so many sick kids that will benefit from music therapy,” Bonnstetter said. “Everybody likes music.”
A performer himself, currently preparing for a school production of “A Salute to the Tonys,” Bonnstetter said he is aware of the uplifting powers of music. Music therapy can reduce pain and anxiety in patients by as much as 50 percent, according to the Monday Life.
Bonnstetter’s mother, Katherine Johnson, Trinity ’93 said her son has first-hand knowledge of the trials of illness. Bonnstetter said his friend from school was diagnosed with brain cancer and that the treatment has been very hard on his spirit.
Johnson noted that she sought treatment for thyroid cancer at the Duke Hospital when she was a freshman at Duke.
“We were just talking about what he wanted to do for his birthday, and he was just so excited about being able to contribute back to the hospital,” Johnson said.
She added that seeing pictures of basketball players like Mason Plumlee volunteering at the hospital serves as a positive role model for learning the importance of giving back to the community.
Bonnstetter has a Duke legacy on several counts and hopes to be a Blue Devil himself one day. His mother, three of her siblings and his grandfather, David Johnson, Trinity ’70, all graduated from the University.
Bonnstetter said he will keep working on his grades and hopes his six years of basketball experience will earn him a place at Duke.
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