Surnames: Schultz, Wiersma

----Source: The Tribune - Phonograph (Abbotsford, Clark Co., WI), Wednesday, February 25, 2009, Online Edition, Article by Ben Schultz

Colby girl chosen as Youth Crew member for Avon Walk

A young lady from Colby will be taking her volunteer work to the big city this summer. Sarah Wiersma was chosen as a member of the Youth Crew for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this summer in Chicago. She’ll join 19 other kids ages 10 to 16 from throughout the country to cheer on participants, help with set-up and entertain the more than 4,000 walkers expected for the event. Sarah, who just turned 10 at the end of January, will be the youngest member of the crew.

Applicants were chosen after answering five questions and undergoing a phone interview. Hundreds of kids applied for the spot, with just a fraction getting chosen.

"I was really nervous on the phone," Sarah said.

She practiced all night to get her answers down and said it was all worth it. When she got the phone call back confirming she was chosen as a member of the crew she said she started celebrating before the Avon Walk could even finish congratulating her. If she likes the experience well enough, Sarah will be invited to apply again next year.

Jamie Bullock, Youth Crew division leader, said the kids will be responsible for a lot of behind-the-scenes work that keeps the event running rolling along.

"The entire weekend will be spent doing a little bit of everything to make things easier on the walkers and other crew members," she said. "Our No. 1 goal is to keep everyone’s spirits up and making sure everything runs nice and smooth."

Sarah will spend a couple nights camping out in Warren Park in Chicago.

"I think it’ll be really fun because I never went camping before," she said.

Sarah has to commit to raising $500 for the Avon Foundation, but she has set her sights on twice that amount. She has already raised $165. Her mother, Terri, has set up a website to track her daughter’s fundraising at www.tinyurl.com/sarah-wiersma. Secure donations can be made through the site.

Sarah has plenty of experience raising funds as she has been helping her mother organize the Community Walk for the last five years in Colby, Wis. That walk is scheduled for May 2. For more information go to the website www.communitywalkforbreastcancer.org.

The Avon Walk will be June 6 and 7 in Chicago as well as in eight other cities throughout the summer. Most walkers will hit the street for 39 miles during the two days, with a full marathon (26 miles) on Saturday and a half marathon the following day.

Terri said she got involved because she saw several people in both her family and her husband’s family battle breast cancer, sometimes succumbing to it. Her sister-in-law heard a radio commercial about the Avon Walk and told her about it.

The Wiersmas have been making the trip to Chicago every year since 2005. This summer it will take on added meaning as mother and daughter each do what they can for the cause they both believe in.

"I’m excited to get to the cheering stations and see my daughter there," Terri said.