Pink Girls Club Foundation Treasurer Connie Katikos helps founder Danielle Szajna, 16, at one of their special events to raise money for families battling cancer. (Submitted Photo)
Insomnia probably isn’t something many teenagers battle, but 16-year-old Danielle Szajna knows she’d be wide awake every night if she didn’t help families fighting cancer.
“I really don’t think I could go to sleep at night if I wasn’t doing something to help these children and adults that can’t help themselves because of an illness,” Szajna said.
The “help” this energetic Romeo High School junior provides comes from the non-profit, Pink Girls Club Foundation, a group Szajna founded in 2009. Today the Pink Girls Club Foundation boasts a board of 15 which includes family members and six of Danielle’s close friends who all work to support events she hosts twice a year.
Her latest project is a toy drive where new unwrapped toys and monetary donations will be collected at Hessells Greenhouse on 23 Mile Road in Macomb Township on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 23 and 24 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Proceeds will go to Toys 4 Kids Kicking Cancer, DMC Children's Hospital and St. Jude's Children’s Research Hospital.
Szajna's mom, Paulette Szajna, of Shelby Township, has been one of her strongest supporters in getting the foundation up and running and keeping it going these four years. The death of a cousin, who was just 34 years old and had misdiagnosed breast cancer, launched Szajna’s desire to make things easier for others fighting the disease.
Her mom said the experience of attending the woman’s memorial service stuck with her daughter and within days she plopped pages of research on non-profits in front of her, saying she wanted to start a group of her own.
To date, the foundation has hosted many successful events. Among them is one called Cycle for Life that invited local kids to come out and ride their bikes along a course to raise money for cancer patients. The kids each got pledges of $10 or $15 and would race through the course knowing they were doing something to help children with cancer.
“Danielle came up with this idea and she has refreshments, bands, clowns and the kids just have so much fun,” Paulette Szajna said.
More recently a Smoothy Station at the Romeo Arts and Apples Festivals helped Danielle gather a sizable donation for Kids Kicking Cancer and St. Jude’s Hospital. She also hosted a tea party for a local elementary student whose cancer had gone into remission. Paulette Szajna said her eager daughter rounded up all the treats and decorations for the special afternoon that welcomed first, second and third-graders to tea.
“She just gets these ideas and then goes out and gathers all the things she needs, all that she does is really impressive,” her mom said.
Approaching families going through a cancer battle can be tough but Danielle remains determined to at least offer some help, often having local school officials contact the family to see if they are interested.
“A lot of families don’t want the help, they are humble or just going through too much so she’ll find other ways to help like donating to St. Jude or Children’s Hospital, wherever she can help,” Paulette Szajna said.
The youngest of three girls, Szajna serves as her class president, is a member of the National Honor Society and the softball team. She volunteers one day a week at Henry Ford Hospital in Sterling Heights.
Right now, her goal is to host a minimum of two events a year plus any other extra opportunities that come up that she can support. She finds generous support from the business community for her projects and said she would like to see her foundation grow and get more friends involved so it stays up and running for decades.
“As a Mom I’d say yes this keeps her out of trouble but I’m really just amazed by her every day,” Paulette Szajna said. “She loves people and is very compassionate and since she started driving, she goes out and does all this on her own. It’s unreal.”
Hessell's Greenhouse is located at 14497 23 Mile Road. Donations can also be mailed to 55184 Timbers Edge Drive, Shelby Township, MI 48316.
To find out more about the foundation visit the website at pinkgirlsclubfoundation.org
Barb Pert Templeton is a freelance reporter. She can be contacted at barbperttempleton.reporter@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment