You're reading this because someone in your life — a student at Mariposa Elementary — handed it to you. Here's why.
There's a student at Mariposa named Eleanor. She's in 2nd grade, and if you've ever seen her in the hallways or on the playground, you've probably noticed her — not because she stands out in a difficult way, but because there's something genuinely magnetic about her. She walks up to people as if she already knows them. She's curious about everything. She doesn't have a single ounce of judgment in her.
Eleanor has Kleefstra Syndrome — a rare genetic condition caused by a mutation in the EHMT1 gene on chromosome 9. It affects her brain development, which means she lives with autism, intellectual disability, and seizures, and her family navigates challenges every single day that most of us never see.
But here's what you do see: Eleanor showing up. Eleanor learning. Eleanor being a full, joyful, connected part of this school community.
The problem is that Kleefstra Syndrome doesn't stand still. As Eleanor approaches her teenage years, the medical research is clear: without intervention, children with this condition face the risk of severe regression — losing language, losing independence, losing the skills they worked so hard to build. There is currently no treatment.
Eleanor's parents, Mason Harrell and Rossella Leonardi, refused to accept that. They co-founded IDefine — The Kleefstra Syndrome Foundation — a nonprofit dedicated to funding the gene therapy research that could one day change that outcome. Not just for Eleanor, but for every child with Kleefstra Syndrome anywhere in the world.
On May 22, 2026, IDefine is hosting the "I Love Someone Rare" Benefit Concert at the University of Redlands Memorial Chapel — a stunning 1,300-seat venue with a headline performance by The Kalama Brothers. Every ticket sold and every dollar donated goes directly to that research.
Mariposa is turning this into a friendly competition — the top classroom, from TK to 1st grade, that raises the most through ticket sales and donations will win an ice cream sundae party with the principal, Mrs. Gill.
She walks these same hallways as the kids you love. Help us show up for her.
🎟️ Buy tickets. Make a donation. Help our class win — and help change her future.
