About
Biography
Christopher Kelleher was born and raised in Massachusetts.
His commitment to helping local residents has earned him a reputation as a tireless fighter and dedicated public servant.
Background
Christopher Kelleher comes from broken family and foster care. He understands firsthand the challenges that some members of our community may face
At the age of 17, Christopher Kelleher decided he had enough of the abusive adults in his life; He decided that he would take control of his life and he did with just a backpack and very little money he went on his own.
"I don't see it as I was running away. I had a plan , I was declaring my Independence. I'm glad that I could get out and escape from the nonstop abuse; the first 17 years of my life were torture. I'm grateful to have survived."
Education
Christopher Kelleher earned his GED and also attended Quincy College
Christopher Kelleher was not allowed to attend high school; one of the adults in his life prevented him from attending school. He educated himself.
" I had to learn a lot of stuff on my own. Im not resentful over it, nor am I ashamed; I'm glad I could overcome it."
Relevant accomplishments
Christopher Kelleher has achieved several notable accomplishments such as
Founded Hull Seaside Animal Rescue
In January 1999, Christopher struggled with the town over a permit for a DJ. During one of the many meetings, the town announced that one of the selectmen was retiring, and there would be a special election for his replacement. One of Christopher's friends publicly jokingly said, "Kelleher should run" Christopher accepted the suggestion on the spot.
Christopher Ran a campaign on issues; one of his issues was for an animal shelter. Hull had a severe feral cat problem that went unresolved for decades. Christopher did not win the selectman seat; however, with his campaign's attention, he announced that he would be starting a 501c3 public charity for an animal shelter. Mr. Kelleher asked his neighbors to join him in creating the non-profit; over 25 people did.
Twenty-three years later, Hull Seaside Animal Rescue is still providing services, and they recently acquired a downtown building for their headquarters.
Founded Devenney's Child & Youth Services, Inc.
March 1992 Christopher Kelleher founded Devenney's Child & Youth Services. The primary purpose of Devenney's was to create shelter for runaway teenagers; This was important to Chris as he was a runaway. After speaking with his neighbor, Mr. Kelleher learned that his neighbor's ex-husband had disappeared with their child. The mother reported not having seen or spoken to her daughter in years. She gave Chris all her information about her ex-husband and his relatives. Chris was able to skip-trace the ex-husband to Florida. Not only did Chris locate the missing child, but he also provided the mother with her ex-husband's phone number. The mother was able to talk with her missing daughter that very night. The following day The Boston FBI was at Chris's house, questioning how he located the ex-husband. "Finding the missing child is one of the proudest moments of my life. I was truly scared when the FBI was at my door; I was only 24 years old, and here was the FBI interrogating me at my house. They verified that everything I did was 100% legal and congratulated me."