MY PERSONAL MICHIGAN HERO Essays by the Top Ten Winners of the 2013-2014 Contest. AND A complete list of all participating schools and their local winners. Sponsored by For Michigan 8th Grade Students 1 A TRIBUTE TO MICHIGAN HEROES… There is so much that is great about Michigan…our natural beauty and breathtaking lakes, our thousands of thriving communities, and our millions of energetic people. But nothing can compare with our Michigan heroes, the people who live and work in our Great State and make a difference in the lives of young people. That’s what this book is about…the heroes of Michigan as seen through the eyes of Michigan eighth grade students. Thousands of students from nearly 450 Michigan schools participated in the 2013-2014 America & Me Essay Contest and submitted essays based on the topic, “My Personal Michigan Hero.” Inside you’ll find reprints of the ten best essays in the state. These essays are about teachers, community leaders, family members, and more…everyday people making an extraordinary difference. Also inside is a complete list of all the schools that participated in the 2013-2014 contest , and the local winners from each school. Every student named in this book, and every student who submitted an essay, has our deepest thanks and congratulations. Farm Bureau Insurance has been the proud sponsor of the annual America & Me Essay Contest since 1968. The contest has become a tradition in Michigan schools and continues to encourage Michigan young people to recognize the heroes in their communities and their state. This book is a salute to Michigan heroes and how they make Michigan a better place to live. We hope you enjoy it. Jim Robinson Executive Vice President Farm Bureau Insurance 2 TOP TEN ESSAYS From the 2013-2014 America & Me Essay Contest 3 MY PERSONAL MICHIGAN HERO st Maria was born in Detroit, Michigan. She was 1 athletically talented, really tall, and had a great laugh. Maria worked at various jobs and had a hard time making ends meet. Maria struggled with her job and raising her son, Kyle. Maria Jacob Pasek became pregnant with me. She knew she had two choices; to end my life or to continue it. Saint Brigid Catholic Even though she was having trouble with life’s School, Midland obstacles, Maria chose life for me and I will always be thankful for her decision. If it wasn’t for my birthmother Maria, I wouldn’t be here today. After giving birth to me, she put me in foster care for a while, but realized that she couldn’t care for me. She loved me so much, but she knew that love wouldn’t provide for my basic needs. That is why Maria is my hero. She right then and there, decided that adoption was the best idea for both of us. She thought of my needs over her needs. Maria’s decision to choose adoption positively affected my future. She worked with a pregnancy counselor to locate a family that she felt would not only provide, but love and cherish her child. Finally, she found a family that she felt would be the best family for her son. The family had the same interests she had: camping, fishing, and being outdoors. Maria called the pregnancy counselor and told them not to let any of the other birthmothers take this family. In August 1999, Maria handed me over to Angela and Dave, and said, “Take good care of him.” It was a deep and touching moment for my parents and Maria. My parents took me home to a very excited brother who couldn’t wait to hold and play with me. I also came home to loving grandparents and welcoming aunts and uncles. My parents wanted Maria to know that I was being well cared for so they kept in contact, by sharing pictures and letters. Maria was really busy, but we would go and see her and celebrate my birthday together. Life continued to move forward, but in November of 2008, life stopped for a moment. We received a call that Maria had died of a heart attack. It was really hard knowing that she was gone and there will be no more birthdays and Christmases to celebrate together. We attended her funeral and it was very beautiful. At the cemetery, a white dove was released; Maria would have liked that. In Maria’s death, she gave me a new life. Even though she is still gone, I have her athletic gifts, her height, but most of all her contagious laugh. My family camps, goes fishing and enjoys the outdoors just like Maria hoped I would get to do. Maria’s choice of life and a better future for me is why she is My Personal Michigan Hero. I will never forget Maria and her great decision she made for me. Thank you, Maria. 4 MY PERSONAL MICHIGAN HERO 2nd Most kids probably consider their dad to be their personal hero. He may root them on at their baseball game, or wrestle them on the floor, or drive them and their friends to school events. My dad was no different. Little did Paul Pavliscak he know our time together would be cut short when I was four years old. Eagle Creek Academy, Oakland Township A typical toddler spends time laughing and playing with his dad, a role model like no other. Memories of my dad playing Santa to my preschool classmates, and dressing as one of my favorite characters, Bob the Builder, are just a few. However, I also have vivid memories of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, watching my mom cry, and learning about how life changes with a cancer diagnosis. I remember telling the oncologist I want to be just like him, only to see him look at me in wonder that a three-year-old even knew what an oncologist was. While most people would ask, “Why me?,” my dad never questioned his fate. He instilled in me that something good would come of this tragedy, although he had no idea what that would be. My family bonded closely to make the most of each day. I learned the real meaning of family, and how death is the horrible part of life that nobody likes to talk about, including most adults. My dad didn’t waste a breath, always making me feel loved and special. Routine activities like eating breakfast, watching TV, and driving to preschool suddenly took a new meaning to my dad and me. We embraced these moments together, knowing what would lie ahead. Simple things, like learning to throw a baseball, I never shared with my dad. The experiences we did share have taught me about my belief in family, in God and never to take even the smallest of things in life for granted. No matter what, I will use these life lessons to help others in whatever capacity I can. I began to do just that, after my mom and I attended a grief support group for four years, when I reached out to the other small children who shared the experience of losing a parent. I would often hold their hands, read them a story or just let them know that I understood what they were feeling. At age eight, I was recognized by the mayor in my city for mentoring kids through their grief. In summary, my personal Michigan hero is my father, David Pavliscak. He is a hero because he taught me the core values of life: to genuinely care for others and express my feelings, and to use these gifts to help others not feel abandoned during times of loss. Thank you dad, for giving me these life lessons that will make me a successful man. If I can be half the dad to my future children that he was to me, I will have attained the greatest accomplishment life has to offer. 5 THE SILENT HERO rd Usually heroes are seen as brave leaders 3 or people who speak up, but my hero is quiet and humble. My family was at Greenfield Village enjoying the sunny day. We rushed to the train station; I John Blaney got in line behind a family with a disabled child. Spiritus Sanctus The child I would guess was about two or three Academy, Plymouth years old and couldn’t walk. The little girl kept asking me questions; I felt awkward and wanted nothing more than to leave the conversation. My mom was expecting around August and everyone was excited. On September 17th, 2005, we welcomed a baby girl into the family, we named her Mary Kate. We were too young to understand medical talk, but my parents explained to all of us that Mary Kate would be in the hospital for a little while. A few weeks later, my parents pulled in the driveway with our new sister. I was confounded by the equipment my parents also carried in. Over the months, we needed more equipment for her and I felt a little awkward to go out in public with all of Mary Kate’s medical equipment. Once, our family was at the zoo and a little boy looked at Mary Kate and frowned, I felt furious. One day, my parents were gone and my sisters were upstairs, probably playing with dolls, and my babysitter wasn’t around. I was in the family room with Mary Kate. She crawled over to me and rolled a small toy to me, I rolled it back. Eventually, hours began to pass and we became entangled in our own little game, we just silently rolled the ball back and forth.