2014 Winter Highlights of Hope

Students Exceed
Five-Year, $ 100,000
Fundraising Goal
Many high school seniors are preoccupied with college applications,
the latest social media news, prom and spring break plans. Four
seniors at Forest Hills Central High School, however, spent their fall
differently. They were focused on an aggressive fundraising goal set
as eighth graders to support cancer and neurodegenerative disease
research at Van Andel Institute.
Participate or support
a Purple Community
event by visiting
PurpleCommunity.org.
Pictured above left to right:
Forest Hills Central High School
students Bella Fiorenzo, Allie Wittenbach,
Sydney Vinton and Mariah Otolski
present a check to Purple Community
Coordinator, Sara Hop.
After meeting with Van Andel Institute founding
Research Director Dr. George Vande Woude in
2009, Bella Fiorenzo, Mariah Otolski, Sydney
Vinton and Allie Wittenbach decided to make an
impact on cancer research by raising $100,000
before they graduated in 2014.
“Cancer affects the entire community,”
said Vinton.
They created the Purple Community Club and
hosted their first event as eighth graders when
they raised $5,000 at a middle school track
meet. Their fundraising events have grown
each year, culminating in their final event in
December 2013.
They planned an entire week of festivities
leading up to boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball
Purple Games TM . Students kicked off the week
with a hockey game and fundraiser at Quaker
Steak & Lube. They held spirit days, sold purple
t-shirts, hosted coin wars in the elementary and
middle schools and prepared for the basketball
game with a pep assembly.
The feature event was a great success. The
high school gym was standing-room only for the
basketball games. The students recruited 44
sponsors and exceeded their fundraising goal
with their cumulative total reaching $105,962.
The students take great pride in the fact that
100% of their donation benefits VAI research
labs where discoveries are made that could
lead to improved cancer treatments and
diagnostic tests.
Since getting involved with Purple Community,
the students’ lives have been personally
impacted by cancer. Several have watched
firsthand as relatives received cancer diagnoses
and underwent treatment. Wittenbach helps
coordinate the event and plays in the basketball
game to honor her mother who was diagnosed
with cancer when she was a freshman.
“When I walked into the gym that day, seeing all
the purple decorations made my heart feel so
good,” said Wittenbach. “We all share our stories
in the locker room of who we’re playing for and
that can get sad and emotional. But when we
run out there and see our crowd, see people
supporting it, everybody has good vibes.”
The event means something different to each
of the student organizers, but it’s a personal
experience for all of them.
“Everyone you meet knows a friend, a parent, a
sibling, a family member or someone who has
had cancer,” said Fiorenzo.
“We bring our community together to make a
difference,” said Otolski. “It has been wonderful
working with Purple Community events over the
past five years.”
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