P-CEP girls soccer game to double as fund-raiser for amazing local charity

Kicking cancer and kicking a soccer ball will merge in a beautiful way April 30 when Plymouth’s girls soccer program hosts a fundraiser for The Shedneck Foundation –a non-profit organization founded by a group of big-hearted friends who live in Plymouth and Canton.  The match will showcase the Wildcats against Plymouth-Canton Educational Park rival Salem. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. (the junior varsity game is set for 5:30 p.m) at the P-CEP grass soccer field 

https://socialhousenews.com/p-cep-girls-soccer-game-to-double-as-fund-raiser-for-amazing-local-charity/

Posted: August 23, 2022           

by Ainsley Earhardt

Founded by Jim O’Farrell in 2020, the Shedneck Foundation is bringing adventure, hope, and love to teenage cancer patients in the Plymouth-Canton community of Michigan. According to Hometown Life,  as an executive in the logistics industry, O’Farrell wanted to do  something “deeper” with his life and upon recognizing the need for  support services for teen cancer patients, he began organizing the  nonprofit with compassionate individuals like himself who wanted to help  give a giant dose of happiness to teens battling cancer. By providing  fun experiences for ‘warriors’ and their friends and families, the  Shedneck Foundation is helping them forget about their worries, even if  it is just for a moment in time. 

According to Hometown Life, “to  connect with those who could benefit from opportunities offered by the  Shedneck Foundation, O’Farrell works closely with the ­Adolescent and  Young Adult Oncology Program at the Rogel Cancer Center at University of  Michigan Health in Ann Arbor, where a social worker helps to identify  patients from the Plymouth-Canton community.” Most importantly, the  Shedneck Foundation ensures that the activities set up for the  ‘warriors’ are strongly related to their interests and the foundation is  dedicated to working with local businesses to make it all possible. 

The foundation offers two options the  teens can choose from including either “A Day Away” or “A Night Out.”  Choosing “A Day Away” may be that they attend a professional or college  sports game, go on a fishing trip, or enjoy a day at a spa, the mall,  the zoo, museums, or other fun places.  “A Night Out” may be to have an  elegant dinner and movie, or go to a theater or a concert. Regardless,  the Shedneck Foundation provides the funding for the teen and their  family or friends to enjoy the special experience. 

The mission of the Shedneck  Foundation is to unite the community in an effort to give back and make a  difference in the lives of those facing a struggle. When a special  event is organized for a ‘warrior,’ the gift it gives goes beyond the  experience and into their hearts and minds with the compassion others  have shown them. The opportunity to forget about one’s struggle allows  for rejuvenation and restores hope that more wonderful experiences await  them in the future. 

Last  December, seemingly out of the blue, Lane Kleinglass found himself with  a broken leg. He’d been experiencing pain for a while, but knew he  hadn’t done anything to injure himself.

Nevertheless, x-rays showed a clean break in his left shinbone. 

“Since  there was no explanation for the break, the doctors did a bunch of  tests and found out it was diffuse B-cell lymphoma,” 18-year-old  Kleinglass, a 2022 Salem High School graduate, said. “It was shocking  and overwhelming. It was the last thing I thought it would be.”

Diffuse  large B-cell lymphoma is the most common type of non-Hodgkin’s  lymphoma, a fast-growing blood cancer. Essentially, a tumor ate away at  his shinbone, causing the break.

The feelings  of shock and overwhelm Kleinglass experienced are common for teens and  young adults diagnosed with cancer. That’s why, in 2020, Canton resident  Jim O’Farrell started the Shedneck Foundation, a non-profit  organization dedicated to bringing smiles to young people dealing with  the physical and emotional toll of the disease.