Montanans pitching in for Michael
While 11-year-old Michael Lavin fights to beat leukemia, his friends, fans and neighbors aren't pulling any punches to help him get the job done.
A recent racquetball tournament and barbecue at The Summit raised more than $2,700 for the local sixth-grader and Montana state racquetball champion in his age group. Tournament organizer and Summit racquetball instructor Kathy Schmauch praises the community response. The tournament drew 51 entrants from throughout Western Montana, making it the largest racquetball tournament in the state this season. "The players and everyone else who came to watch were all there for Michael," says Schmauch.
Besides The Summit, Coldwell Banker Wachholz and Company, Montana Coffee Traders, Party Time Rental, and several local artists pitched in for the event.
Not only were racquets swinging Nov. 20, but electric shavers were buzzing the heads of Rick Bates and his three sons, Tanner, Taylor and Parker, who are friends of Michael's, along with three other players who discovered that bald is especially beautiful when it's for a good cause.
But those aren't the only brave souls out there lending their locks for Lavin. Earlier last month in an act of true team spirit, roughly 60 Flathead High School Braves football players shaved their heads, and the whole team raised about $2,000 in pledges.
Local disc jockeys Todd Dowen and Rob Dewbre of Bee Broadcasting also put the hair on their heads on the fund-raising block, drawing another $4,000 from their listeners.
Lavin, who has been in Seattle since September for treatment, kept track of the tournament via frequent phone calls from his friends and supporters.
Recent news from parents Amy and Steve Lavin is that Michael's blood counts are good enough to start him back on chemotherapy. "He's pretty wiped out, but strong," reads the patient Web page, on which anyone can get updates on his condition.
At least two events are planned for Lavin. On Sunday, Dec. 11, The Summit is sponsoring several events - a three-on-three basketball tournament for youths in third through eighth grades, with a $40 entry fee for a team of four; the deadline is Dec. 7; and a parent-child tennis tournament, with a $20 entry fee per team; the deadline is Dec. 10. One hundred percent of the fees go to the Michael Lavin Fund at First Interstate Bank.
For more details on the tourneys, call Kris Riley at 751-4131.
Plans are also in the works that day for a silent auction and dessert auction, and a $2 open swim from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., along with a raffle for an alabaster stone carving of a grizzly bear by Kalispell wildlife artist Jon Pust.
To donate items for the silent auction, call Kathy Schmauch at 751-4505.
With all the fund-raisers and support from this community, the overwhelming message to Michael is one of love and solidarity.
To find out how Michael is doing, visit www.thestatus.com, click on "Visit a Patient Page," enter the last name "lavin" and the password "lavin44."
At the upper right corner of Michael's Web page is a quote by another Brave - Milwaukee Brave home-run hero Hank Aaron:
"My motto was to always keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging."
Keep swinging, Michael.