How a Briarcrest Christian School student is using her musical talents to help others

For as long as she can remember, Ella Bork has been singing. Now, she's utilizing that talent to make a difference.

At just 14 years old, the Briarcrest Christian School freshman is already using her ability as a singer-songwriter to raise money for causes she's passionate about.

All proceeds from her first album, " Seeing Things," go to the Alagille Syndrome Alliance , an international support organization that supports families with Alagille syndrome and researches the disease.

"Over the past year I've met people with Alagille syndrome, which makes it more special and makes me want to do it more," Ella said. "I just think it's a good cause to help because they need help, and it's kind of a rare disease that's overlooked."

Alagille syndrome is a liver disease that can affect multiple other organs like the heart, skin, eyes and kidneys, though the severity of symptoms varies wildly between patients. The rare disease has no cure, though some medications with limited effectiveness have been developed.

Ella no doubt inherited a desire to serve from her mom Cher Bork, the executive director of Alagille Syndrome Alliance. Cher said she's always been open with her kids about what the families she works with go through daily. "It just makes me feel great that she wants to follow in that, and help people," she said.

Though she's been doing fundraisers for six years now, this is the first year that Ella is using her music to raise money. She previously did bake sales, which raised more than $5,000. Now she's combined her passions for music and service with another — vinyl.

Ella has been able to get her album on vinyl thanks to Dr. Dennis Black, the vice president for research at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, an Alagille expert and, perfectly, a co-owner of Black and Wyatt Records, a vinyl-only record company. Ella is also Memphis Record Pressing's youngest client in its 10-year history.

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"When you become a singer, you think, oh, this is really great, but all these people who have albums, how am I going to get there?" Ella said. "But then to see my own album out, it's really great."

Besides a physical release, Ella has also performed live, including at Lafayette's.

"That's fun to see as a parent," Cher said. "It's one thing to be in a studio where it's a controlled environment, but to watch her get up on stage and even at 14 be who she is, it was an amazing experience to watch her do that."

Ella said she loves to tell stories with her songs, but doesn't want the subject to be about a specific someone or something. It's all up to the listener's own point of view.

"A lot of people ask like, 'Tell me who this is about,' and you know sometimes it's deeper than that... it can expand off an idea or dream," she said. "I don't want [listeners] to think, 'What does Ella have to say, what's going on in her life?' I want them to apply it to their lives."

Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at jacob.wilt@commercialappeal.com .

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How a Briarcrest Christian School student is using her musical talents to help others