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Volume Issue 9 | May | 4,May 2011 | 2011
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neighborly news & entertainment
Racing for the kids
May Features
Inverness driver supports children with cancer
Page 7 • Publisher’s Note
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Clint Guthrie raced a BMW 330 in the Barber 200 for Children’s Hospital. Photo courtsey of Clint Guthrie.
By MADOLINE MARKHAM Clint Guthrie didn’t complete 77 laps of the Barber Motorsports track at the Indy Grand Prix in April to win or even just for thrills. He did it for the kids whose handprints lined his race car. Many of those children undergoing cancer treatment
at Children’s Hospital, along with their families and former cancer patients, were there cheering him on during the Barber 200. A small business owner who lives in Inverness, Guthrie’s work with Racin’ 4
Continuing the fight
Kids is all about raising awareness and support for the UAB Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Children’s Hospital. “The highlight of the event was the money raised for the kids—that and the smiles on their faces,” Guthrie said. “It was a lot of fun. “ Through the event, Racin’ 4 Kids raised more than $100, 0000 for Children’s Hospital, including more than $40,000 in auction items. Some people donated $100 for each child’s handprint on the car. Others pledged between $1 and $10 for each lap Guthrie’s team completed with teammate Rick Skelton of Atlanta. On Friday, 35 kids from the cancer wing rode in the race cars on parade laps around the track. When Guthrie and his team didn’t have enough cars for all kids to have a turn, Grand-Am officials jumped in and invited the rest of the kids into their cars. “They were thrilled,” Guthrie said. “Some said it was the coolest thing they’ve done. A lot of the kids wanted to know how fast they were driving.” The Tuesday before the race, all the kids currently in the oncology and hematology wings at Children’s Hospital kids placed their handprints on it on Guthrie’s car. The children had earlier painted their prints,
See RACING | page 14
Sending aid to Japan
A mother’s story of loss and hope
By KATHRYN ACREE AND MADOLINE MARKHAM While raising her daughter Laura, Cecelia Crandall often advised her to “put on your big girl panties and deal with it.” Laura began to share the same advice with friends years later and bought her mom a magnet bearing the words. Today when Cecilia Crandall looks at the magnet on her refrigerator, she thinks, “Boy, did she ever Laura and Cecilia Crandall on deal with it.” Laura’s wedding day in 2009. Laura began a fight Photo courtesy Angela Karen against ovarian cancer at age Photography. 24. Although she lost her battle after only 15 months, Crandall and her husband, Jim, continue the fight today. They honor Laura’s wishes to educate women about early detection of ovarian cancer and to battle against this disease through the Laura Crandall Brown Ovarian Cancer Foundation. While Cecilia and her other daughter, Emma, are more quiet and reserved, Laura was small but full of spunk like her paternal
See CRANDALL | page 27
Greystone Elementary students Brooks Rice, Shion Yoshida, Rio Adachi and Sammy Johnson stand with crane project organizer and first grade teacher Lori Pollard. Photo by Kathryn Acree.
By KATHRYN ACREE After the earthquake and resulting tsunami that recently struck Japan, Greystone Elementary first grade teacher Lori Pollard’s thoughts turned to former Japanese students who had returned home. “When I heard the news on March 11, my heart just ached,” Pollard said. “We’ve had many Japanese children attend Greystone Elementary while their families work for Honda. Often they have lived here for three to five years.” After finally getting into contact with the families they knew in Japan and discovering they had survived, Pollard began to look for a project benefitting the recovering country. While looking online, Pollard discovered an
See SUPPORT JAPAN | page 29
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