blue water woman--spring 2016--B

lue water young
woman of the year
jacque rogers, marysville
an extraordinary
young woman
by Patti Samar
12 spring 2016 BlueWaterWoman.com
S“Still waters run deep”: proverb. A quiet or placid manner may conceal a more
passionate nature.
If Jacque Rogers, 18, a senior at Marysville High School, is the proverbial
water, her passion is running deep…Grand Canyon deep.
Though she has a quiet and humble demeanor, Rogers’ mind is clearly
thinking deeply about the world around her and the things that matter to her.
And while many her age are just learning to observe the world around them,
Rogers has already learned what many do not learn until much later in life: the
best way to change something or to help someone is to take action.
Over the past two years, Rogers – an exceptional student carrying a difficult
course load while maintaining a 4.345 grade point average and a star student
athlete – started her own charity called “Every Day People.” The purpose? To
help provide special holidays to every day working people who might work two
or even three jobs – and do not qualify for government assistance or are too
proud to ask for it -- just to make ends meet.
For her efforts to take the initiative to start a charitable organization, fund
raise and provide something special for those who might not otherwise be
able to celebrate holidays, all while excelling in her academic life and sporting
endeavors, Jacque Rogers has been named the Blue Water Young Woman of
the Year.
Nominated by her teacher, Christine Shigley, Rogers is the first to deflect her
accomplishments.
“I couldn’t have done this without my peers at school…and my teachers…
who have been helping with bottle drives and donations,” said Rogers. “It’s
been very helpful to have that pool of people who have helped me help others.”
Over the course of the past two years, Rogers has raised more than $6,000
and has put all of that back into her charitable endeavors, providing gifts to
others in the Blue Water Area who may not have the resources or support to
provide anything “extra” to their families during the holidays.
“I have been very fortunate,” said Rogers. “Through church and through my
faith I feel like I can help people and I feel like it’s my job to help others if I am
able to.”
In her nomination of Rogers, Shigley wrote: “This (past holiday season),
Jacque shopped for about 20 children to the tune of $200 each, purchasing
both needs and wants for them. But here is the best part: she asked for her
giving to remain anonymous…because she does not believe that one should
shout from the rooftops that they did a good deed.
“The highest compliment you can give to someone is that you hope your
own children grow up to be just like them. In a career in which I’ve come to
know a great many students, I can say without a doubt that if I had to choose
one for my 11-year-old stepdaughter to emulate, it would be Jacque.”
And at a time in her life when many of her peers prefer to distance themselves
from parents and family members, Rogers cannot say enough kind words about
her parents and siblings. “Knowing that my family is there for me is important
to me,” she said. “They give me support and they are there guiding me to make
decisions that allow me to be myself. They’re a huge part of my life and my
success in everything I’ve done.”
An ice hockey player since the age of four, she noted: “I always wanted to play
hockey because my older brother did it. I wanted to play with him because he
was a huge role model in my life.”
And though she now plays on the Farmington Hills-based Honey Baked
Girls 19U team, she grew up playing hockey on teams consisting of almost all
boys.
“I never thought I was any different because I could compete with them,” she
said. “And no coach has ever treated me differently. I was always a full member
of the team.”
With regard to her philanthropic endeavors, Rogers is wise beyond her years.
“If you do things for recognition, you are doing them for the wrong reasons,”
she said. “You do good to help others, not to help yourself.”
Following her high school graduation, Rogers plans to attend Lake Forest College
in Illinois. She plans to play hockey there for the women’s team and she has received
academic scholarships.