Grosse Pointe, MI August 2023

AugustInspired by Kids

This one is all about the kids…and young adults.

Inspiration comes in many forms. When we are touched by the innocence of youth having to battle some of life’s cruel afflictions, something stirs inside us and we are called to action. Large or small contributions add up to help and guide those who need a hand. It brings out the most beautiful human condition of wanting to help one another.

Sometimes inspiration comes from a different place, on a green field with athletes at battle to grab an inch of turf that can mean the difference in being remembered or forgotten, victorious or defeated. Sacrifice, both mental and physical, for a piece of glory, a moment that becomes history.

Yes, kids inspire us. They bring us the greatest of love and the rawest emotions.

A special lady, Kristy Schena, was inspired by kids with special needs missing out on development through the summer months away from school. So she took action and started Kids on the Go. This summer, over 270 families will receive scholarships through her passion and commitment to assisting those in need and also guiding families so they can navigate the path when their child needs help. We talk to Kristy to learn about Kids on the Go.

Robbie Buhl, Tom Buhl and Ed Russell were inspired and linked their passion for motorsports with healthcare funding for the needs of children. The result is exotic and vintage cars lining Kercheval as part of a day-long event that has raised nearly 2 million dollars. Racing for Kids harnesses local businesses and numerous events, from scavenger hunts to a VIP reception with live music, cocktails, and silent auction items. We visit with Tom and Ed about Racing for Kids.

Finally, a special group of young ladies came together to pull off the biggest upset in Michigan high school sports history. The Grosse Pointe North Girls Soccer team, led by coaches Olivia Dallaire and Marty Shearer, unranked and unheralded, chopped down powerhouse after powerhouse to win the Division 2 State Championship. They played for each other and for Grosse Pointe. They are now a team that will inspire stories to all future athletic teams of what can be done when you believe in yourselves and sacrifice. They were relentless in wearing down every opponent physically and mentally. Ladies, you are now a legend, and you inspire us!  Yes, kids inspire!

August 2023

PUBLISHER

David Mattaliano | david.mattaliano@citylifestyle.com

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Paige Peabody | paige.peabody@citylifestyle.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Sue Baldani, Robert Musial

Corporate Team

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Matthew Perry

VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES Tiffany Slowinski

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HR Janeane Thompson

DIRECTOR OF FIRST IMPRESSIONS Jennifer Robinson

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Josh Klein

CONTROLLER Gary Johnson

AD DESIGNER Evan Deuvall

LAYOUT DESIGNER Kelsey Ragain

MATTALIANO, PUBLISHER @GROSSEPOINTECITYLIFESTYLE

DAVID

Proverbs 3:5-6

1: Iliyana Nezeritis fights for every inch in Grosse Pointe North’s state championship final vs EGR.

2: Ava Mattaliano makes a

slide tackle in state semi-final vs Linden. 3: Gabby Miller’s intensity comes out after scoring a penalty kick in the state final.

ADAM SHEEHAN

Go Kids!

For 25 years, Kids On The Go (KOTG) has been helping children with special needs and their parents with services, programs, and resources. Says one mom, "KOTG has been a blessing! We finally found a place where my son feels safe, comfortable, confident, and accepted."

Founded by Kristy Piana Schena of Grosse Pointe, a specialist in the field of speech-language pathology, she saw a need and wanted to make a difference. While schools provided therapy during the school year, children and families were left to their own devices during the summer months.

"Over the summer, a typical developing child can fall behind, and it can take until the end of September to catch up," she says. "If you have a child with special needs, it can take until the end of December to catch up."

Kristy initially devised an idea to offer tuition-based summer camps so kids with special needs would not experience what she calls this "summer slide." But she quickly realized that wasn't going to work. "Many of the families of children with special needs have a lot of other financial obligations."

A MISSION ON THE GO

ARTICLE BY SUE BALDANI

Instead, she asked local people and businesses to sponsor children. "That's how Kids on the Go was born - we launched our first program at Bi-County Community Hospital in Warren, Michigan. It was really based on the Macomb Intermediate School District Program for their preschoolers, and we took the goals established by therapists and teachers at the end of the school year and addressed them during the summer months. When the campers returned to school in the fall, they had not fallen behind."

The multidisciplinary camp takes place for six weeks. The children come together twice a week for two-hour sessions with a different theme each week. It might be camping adventures, or it could be animals or STEM activities. Also included are speech pathology therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. KOTG has given out nearly 500 scholarships to more than 270 families this summer. Some of the kids partake in more than one program.

Over the years, KOTG has greatly expanded its services. In 2018, it relocated to the Nonprofit Center at Pare in St. Clair Shores, and this move has allowed the organization to provide programming throughout the year.

"We offer after-school and Saturday morning programs during the school year," says Kristy. "In 2020, we also opened our first program in Traverse City. In addition, we run a golf program at Chandler Park Golf Club in Detroit, and this is our 11th year doing adaptive tennis with the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. We've also been running programs for about 15 years in Rochester."

Another way KOTG has grown is by expanding its offerings to older kids. It started accepting children aged 3 to 6 and now has programs for those up to age 17. "There was a big gap in our community of servicing our teens, so we started a Teens to Work program," she says. "And what's really special about that program is we're giving them pre-employment skills, social skills, financial literacy, and independent living skills."

One of the students who took part in Teens to Work just finished his first year at Concordia, and another is going next year. "We also have a teen going into Rising Stars Academy, a great culinary arts program for those with disabilities. One of the goals of Kids On The Go is to find out what these kids' unique talents are and really help them find what their gift is. I always tell parents to never let a diagnosis define their child's future."

One mom says, "Our son is gaining a lot of confidence learning new skills, and being around the other kids helps him to interact with his peers more, which is really important. The focus on real skills is much more effective for our son than some traditional therapies we have tried."

Kristin loves to see the impact and ripple effect that KOTG is making in the participants' lives. Some kids who've actually attended the camps have returned to volunteer. "We have a young woman, a former camper, who is now in nursing school who came back two years ago to start volunteering."

Another young woman, who volunteered for KOTG in high school, went on to get her master's in speech pathology. She works in their Traverse City program and is their board liaison. "Her growth and career path took place because of volunteering with Kids On The Go," says Kristy.

A young man, who was at the camp when he was 3 for developmental delays, is now in his second year of law school at Michigan State. "When I asked him what type of law he was hoping to pursue, he said he wanted to go into helping those with disabilities," she says. For Kristy, Kids On The Go was an unexpected blessing in her life. "Nine years into this, I was married with three children, an almost 3-year-old and almost one-year-old twins. It wasn't easy to manage everything.

"My husband and I discussed how long I could keep this going. I said I needed at least one more year to make it to our 10th anniversary. That summer, one of my twins was diagnosed with hypotonia, low muscle tone from head to toe. I began my

"We are overwhelmed by the strides our son made this summer and really see the work the staff has put into him."

journey as a parent of a child with special needs, dealing with therapies that weren't covered by insurance. I then put on a different hat. I wasn't just the founder and executive director; I was now a parent of a child with special needs."

Later, her oldest child was diagnosed with rare epilepsy in the third grade. "I realized how much the program had blessed me with my resources, the medical connections, and the network of families that had already walked my path and were there to hold my hand this time." Today, her children are doing very well.

KOTG also started hosting parent workshops because Kristin saw the need for parents to connect with other parents on the same journey. In the fall of 2022, KOTG, The Family Center, The Arc, the Full Circle Foundation, and the Grosse Pointe Schools transition program formed an alliance to bring resources to families with special needs from birth through adulthood. "We held our first resource fair in February with over 40 vendors and almost 300 attendees."

"It's incredible to have a place where my kid can go to have fun and learn skills where there is no pressure or judgment."

As these children get older and things change or develop other issues, this alliance will provide parents with ongoing resources. "One mom came up to me and told me that she is so overwhelmed every year just trying to figure out what's coming up for the next year," says Kristy. "With tears in her eyes, she said she now knows there are resources for her for the year beyond."

Like many nonprofits, KOTG relies on community support, whether volunteering, donating, sponsoring a child, or attending fundraising events.

"Something unique that we've done for 25 years is to hold a sponsor celebration event where our families and the campers present the sponsor with a letter," she says. "Sponsors get to see where their donations go, and the rewards of their support, and it's such a personal connection. We also present the sponsors with a plaque for their business and put their logos on our T-shirts."

KOTG holds an annual golf outing, a big gala, and other events.

"I have a strong faith, and God's put some great people in my path," says Kristy. "I really do believe that it takes a village."

To find out more and/or provide your support, go to KidsOnTheGoCamp.com

"One mom came up to me and told me that she is so overwhelmed every year just trying to figure out what's coming up for the next year. With tears in her eyes, she said she now knows there are resources for her for the year beyond."

Racing for ‘the’ Kids

ARTICLE BY ROBERT MUSIAL

WHERE INDY MEETS ITS MATCH

One block of Kercheval Avenue in Grosse Pointe Farms will be blocked off on August 30, but it’s for a great cause -- the 17th annual Racing for Kids event.

Taking place on The Hill, between Muir and McMillan roads, the all-day family event raises funds for projects benefiting sick children in our area.

Besides the exotic, vintage, and racing cars lining the street under the checkered flags, there will be live music, face-painting, and a children’s art tent sponsored by the College for Creative Studies in Detroit and treats from National Coney Island.

Participating businesses are also holding a scavenger hunt for kids, sponsored by The Hill Association and the Grosse Pointe News.

There’s also something new to awe eventgoers this year, said Ed Russell, one of the Racing for the Kids coordinators: Two motorcyclists will race each other -- inside a giant steel mesh ball.

“That is really something to see,” he said.

Drawing upwards of 2,000 visitors, the daytime street fair will run from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.

An evening VIP reception from 6-9 p.m. will host about 500 people. It will feature live music, specialty cocktails, exclusive live and silent auction items, plus food from the Bronze Door, the Dirty Dog, Fresh Farms, Jumps, Luxe, and Café Nini.

After the reception, the Hill restaurants often get extra customers as visitors wind down from the event, said co-organizer Tom Buhl.

Last year’s Racing for Kids in Grosse Pointe raised $250,000. In the previous 16 years, this local event has raised over $1.9 million, underwriting

projects benefiting chronically ill kids at Ascension St. John Hospital, Beaumont Hospital Grosse Pointe, the Children’s Foundation for Children’s Hospital, and the Henry Ford Health System.

“It’s a great partnership that impacts so many children in our communities,” noted Children’s Foundation president and CEO Larry Burns.

Donations from Racing for Kids have purchased everything from pediatric rehabilitation equipment and pediatric heart monitors for home use to specially equipped Radio Flyer red wagons adapted for IV poles for kids’ travel in the hospital.

Proceeds will also benefit Teen Street Skills and its local program to create better and safer young drivers by teaching awareness behind the wheel.

“The neat thing is the money is going to all these good institutions around town and making a difference for children,” said Buhl.

During the event, 30 exotic and vintage cars will be parked along Kercheval, along with a couple of Indy 500 vehicles that kids can climb into and have their pictures taken.

That’s a special nod to another Racing for Kids organizer, Grosse Pointe Farms resident Robbie Buhl, who raced in the Indy Racing League.

Buhl won the 1992 Indy Lights championship and later was picked to be a teammate to Tony Stewart for two seasons in the Indy Car Series, scoring the closest finish in series history when he nosed out Lola F1 driver Vincenzo Sospiri by 0.064 seconds at the New Hampshire International Speedway in August 1997.

Since then, he’s also been a part of the broadcasting team, covering the Indy Lights Series races. And he’s been a spokesman for the organization since it was founded.

The Grosse Pointe event is a part of the National Racing for Kids charity that uses the popularity of motorsports to bring attention and funding to the healthcare needs of children. In so doing, it’s raised $7.5 million in the national effort.

A big part of the program is bringing race car drivers into local children’s hospitals to visit sick kids, share racing stories, and sign autographs.

The visits are a bright spot for many hospitalized children during their treatment.

Physicians report that these visits can play an important part in the children’s recovery therapy.

“It’s a great partnership that impacts so many children in our communities,” noted Children’s Foundation president and CEO Larry Burns.

Jake Juip

Racing for Kids drivers and representatives have made more than 575 hospital visits in countries where they compete, meeting 30,000 sick children in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and Australia.

Russell said Racing for Kids began in Detroit in 1989 when he and Tom Buhl took some friends down to the Indianapolis 500 and the first Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle.

“We thought wouldn’t it be fun to do something to help our local communities and local hospitals? Since then, it’s become a phenomenal community effort,” he said.

Both Buhl and Russell lauded Grosse Pointe Farms officials for their help in staging the event.

“The city leaders have been great, working with us and redirecting traffic, including buses and even ambulances” for that day, Buhl said.

“It started as we were thinking of an event for charity and goodwill, with the proceeds going to the community, something for people to come out and have fun and raise a little money for the kids,” he said.

“The goal is to make a difference in our community,” said Buhl. “And it’s such a fun community event.”

NORTH LADIES KICK IT HOME

STATE CHAMPS AND WOMEN MAKING HISTORY

ARTICLE BY SUE BALDANI

In sports, it’s often said, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” While that’s a nice sentiment, winning sure does feel good, and winning a state championship is even better.

For the first time ever, the Grosse Pointe North High School girl’s soccer team knows this feeling well. On June 16, at DeMartin Stadium at Michigan State University (MSU), they took home the Division 2 state championship.

For head coach Olivia Dallaire, this win really brought her full circle. She actually played four years of soccer at North, as well as at Michigan State. “It was very special for me,” she says. “I was definitely emotional after the game and just

couldn’t believe it. I’m just extremely proud of the girls. They really played for each other and represented the school and the community very well.”

Coming in as an underdog (they were only the second team since 1991 to make it to the Michigan High School Athletic Association state finals with fewer than 10 wins), they showed a perseverance that made a huge difference.

“I think what really made the team so successful was our ‘never give up’ attitude,” says assistant coach Marty Shearer. “A lot of times, when you’re the underdogs, it gets a little bit difficult after a while. My role was keeping the players motivated even when things weren’t going great.”

When the team beat Bloomfield Hills Marian, winner of four Division 2 state championships since 2017, in the regional semifinals, Olivia believes that was the real turning point. “It gave them the confidence to play against anyone.”

Goalkeeper Grace McCormick, who has been playing soccer since she was 3 years old, loves the game and still can’t believe her team won the championship. “It felt like a fever dream to me,” she says. “It was just such a hard season - we were 4-7-7, and the fact that we could then go on a six-game run without losing or tying was quite surreal.”

She gives her coaches a lot of credit. “I’ve always loved my coaches, and Olivia was an inspiration - I can’t give her enough recognition. She had just had a baby and had a new job as a nurse anesthetist, but she would run to practice with her child and practice playing with us with the baby strapped onto her. Her dedication to the team and her athleticism is just unreal.”

Grace is actually following in Olivia’s footsteps. This fall, she’ll be attending the University of Detroit Mercy. “I can’t picture my life without soccer because it’s become such a staple for me. Detroit Mercy is the only division-one school that allows you to do clinical rotations for a nursing degree. Olivia’s the reason why I am where I am.”

Another player, center fullback Ava Mattaliano, says Grace convinced her to join the team. “I’ve been playing since I was 3 years old, but then I took a break when I was 11. Grace was the one to get me to play again last year when I was a junior.”

She says winning the state championship was the most exhilarating thing that ever happened to her. “I didn’t even know we had won until I looked over and saw my coach just fall to her knees with her hands over her face. That’s when I was like, ‘We just did it!’”

Ava is not only an accomplished soccer player, but she has also been given a scholarship to Plattsburgh State University in New York for hockey. She is thankful for her coaches and her parents as well. “They’re my number one supporter.”

The team is also very thankful for the support of the entire community. “I think the community really came together, especially when we went to the state finals,” says Marty. “They had a nice rally for us. Elementary school students cheered us on, and many parents decorated their cars. The support was amazing. The parents also sponsored a pasta party for the team, and there was a lot of bonding there, which the players appreciated. Plus, they

always ensured the players were at practice and games. That takes a lot of work.”

Adds Olivia, “We probably had a hundred people out there with pompoms and posters cheering the girls on.”

The school’s athletic director Michelle Davis says the North community has always been very supportive. “They came out for many games, but the finals is where I think most of them showed up. Many people there didn’t have students in the program anymore, but they all came out to support the girls. Current and former North faculty members also came to show their support.”

After 23 years of coaching, she’s reveling in her first championship. “I’ve always been an advocate of sports, and I don’t care what your physical capability is,” says Michelle.” As an athlete, just come in and give it your all, and that’s what those girls did. They just gave it their all and left nothing behind.”

Another commonly used phrase in sports is “Cinderella story,” which refers to competitors achieving far greater success than expected. The journey taken by the Grosse Pointe North High School girl’s soccer team definitely fits this definition, and just like many fairy tales, it had a very happy ending.

"I'm just extremely proud of the girls. They played for each other and represented the school and community well."

EFFECTIVE RESULTS DRIVEN REPRESENTATION

313.586.4444 | kustrabloom.com 21002 Mack Avenue, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236

events

A curated selection of the most intriguing upcoming events in our area.

Music on the Lawn

MACK AVENUE PLAZA , GROSSE POINTE WOODS CITY HALL | 6:00 PM

Featuring Sonic Freeway, Music on the Lawn is a free community event of music and fun.

Summer Concert by the Lake

FORD HOUSE | 6:30 PM

Michigan Philharmonic is taking us to the movies! Don't miss this year's concert "Icons & Superheroes". Tickets for this event can be purchased at www.fordhouse.org

Racing for Kids

KERCHEVAL ON THE HILL | 11:00 AM

A fun filled day of cool cars, entertainment, a scavenger hunt, food and more!  Racing For Kids is a unique national charity, which draws on the popularity of motorsports to bring attention and funding to the health care needs of children and child health institutions. Open to the public, free admission.