Courtney Fritzler, a senior at Corunna High School, was given the task of completing a community project as part of her graduation requirements. Rather than choose something easy to be completed quickly, she wanted to come up with an idea that would really make a difference and that had meaning to her, so she chose childhood cancer research.

According to Courtney, cancer has been present throughout her entire life, but primarily associated with adults. Once she started to talk about childhood cancer, she realized that most people were unaware of how prevalent it is and how underfunded, so she decided to try and educate while raising money. She hosted a community walk at her local park over the summer and had a boy’s volleyball game at her school during the school year. Throughout her journey, she documented by video her endeavors and the life lessons she took away from the experience. After meeting the many people directly affected by childhood cancer, Courtney feels that her life has forever changed. Learning about the personal struggles of the many people who have it “so much harder” than she does has inspired her to believe that staying strong and overcoming adversity is achievable with a positive mind set and faith.

On behalf of KWC, I want to thank Courtney for all of the time invested and money raised. I think she got exactly out of her project what every parent and school district hopes their teen will get. She demonstrated a lot of maturity and appreciation for the value of life. Way to go Courtney!

As a parent, I often wonder what is in store for my teenage children and future grandchildren. Will they exist in a culture of caring and compassion, or will it be “every man for himself?”  I often find myself immersed in conversations with my peers over the behavior of today’s youth, most of it not positive, but it’s important to recognize that there are plenty of kids who are taking active roles to make a difference in their communities.

Destination Imagination is an educational program where student teams solve open-ended challenges and present their solutions at Tournaments. The 6th grade team from Macomb, consisting of students from Seneca MS and Algonquin MS, decided that they wanted to do something to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research.  The girls had personal experiences with kids in their own community that either had cancer or were currently being treated for cancer. One specific friend,  Alexandra’s friend Vinnie, is in remission from leukemia, so Alexandra was especially motivated to want to represent her.  They created a pitch, a dance, and fundraising ideas on their own, then implemented those ideas to raise over a $1000 for KWC. They have advanced to compete at Henry Ford H.S. on Saturday, Mar. 2. The girls (Jenna, Katelyn, Alexandra, Joely, Tori, Sydney, and Emma) have brought such a sense of excitement, energy,  and fun that they truly inspire me, along with being very entertaining – they are adorable!

Big thanks to all of you girls for your hard work and efforts. You have truly made a difference and your contributions will be directly helping the research done at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s competition, you are all winners in my book! You are shining lights guiding a path for a better tomorrow. Good luck and you’ve done a fantastic job representing your generation!

-Chris

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) Poet

One of my strongest memories from when my daughter was sick with cancer was not of the trauma, it was when she was almost finished with treatment. All of my daughters and I had gone to Great Lakes Crossing to celebrate. Cassie had lost a lot of weight, along with hair and energy, but food was starting to sound good again. The waiter was so sweet to us and kept encouraging us to get more. When the time came to leave, he informed us that another diner, who asked to remain anonymous, had paid our bill. We were told that the person hoped that we had a blessed Christmas and wished us all of the best. The unnamed person did not know us, where we were from, or our story – they simply saw a sick child and wanted to do something nice. I never knew the donor, but I will never forget the act.

In a society where everyone is frantically bustling from one activity to another, slowing down to take a look around might be the best medicine yet. Who knows how our “random acts of kindness”  will effect another person? Maybe it’s the letting the person with one item go ahead of us in line at the grocery store, or giving the person in front of us the change they needed to complete their purchase. Maybe it’s a sympathetic smile to the overwhelmed mom whose child is crying hysterically, or holding a door for the person behind you who is rushing to get somewhere. A thoughtful gesture, no matter how simple, could be the emotional boost that someone desperately needed that day to keep battling whatever challenges they might be facing. It might go “unremembered” by the giver, but hopefully never forgotten by the receiver.

Chris Vandenberg