Three Jacksonville Teenagers Make A Difference

Chandler Husband

Jacksonville’s Chandler Husband, a 17-year old senior at South High has planned an ambitious senior project – A Fashion Show to benefit Cystic Fibrosis. The event will be held in the ballroom on the Bigham Knoll campus on Thursday, March 15, starting at 6:30 pm.

The college-bound senior, who was born with CF, hopes to sell 400 tickets at $10 each and donate all proceeds to help find a cure for the disease. The evening will feature spring fashion lines from six area boutiques, a raffle, wine, coffee, refreshments and a DJ.

Chandler is seeking volunteers to help with the event as well as donations for raffle baskets. (Donations are tax deductible and a CF tax # will be provided) Tickets are available at the door and locally at the Good Bean Coffee shop and Jacksonville Barn Company.

For more information, please contact Chandler Husband at 541-633-8288 or email chandler.husband123@gmail.com.

Adam Artner

Local high school student Adam Artner organized and staged a bike race for his senior project that netted $1,000 for the benefit of the Bear Creek Greenway capital campaign. He is pictured below presenting a check to Bear Creek Foundation President Lee Mills on February 8 at Cycle Analysis in Jacksonville, who was on-hand along with other board members for the event.

In 2011, the Bear Creek Greenway announced the completion of 17+ miles of continuous trail, enabling riding or walking between the Ashland Dog Park and Pine Street in Central Point.

Artner’s fundraiser will directly benefit a newly slated “Pine to Upton” Central Point project, a 1.4 mile section of trail linking Pine Street in Central Point to Upton Road through the Jackson County Expo area.  The grant requires a matching amount of $190,000 be raised in the local community with efforts from Artner and others having already raised $60,000. “It is events and supporters such as Adam Artner and the Cyclocross Race that will make this project possible. Our Foundation is very grateful for the efforts put forth by the community,” said Foundation President Lee Mills.

Wesley Lightner

On Friday, February 24, 2012, Wesley Lightner, presented a check for $1,000 he raised for the Sister Theresa Kohles Fund/Providence Hospital Medical Center in honor of his paternal grandmother, Jacqueline Rowland, who passed away this August from complications from breast cancer.

Wesley has been working on his senior project this entire year centered around breast cancer, the causes and the many options for treatment. For the active part of his senior project, Wesley organized, promoted and put on a dance in conjunction with Tom Cole from Kids Unlimited called “The Pink Panther Dance”. Wesley (aka DJ Infinite Light) promoted via Facebook, Flyers and Word of Mouth the Pink Panther Dance. Over 250 local teenager showed up, paying $8.00 entry fee to dance the night away to really awesome music. They were all encouraged to dress in pink which many of them did. His parents worked the door and were surprised by how many teenagers showed up and handed them $10.00 bills while saying, “Keep the change” in honor of “breast cancer.” The dance raised $2,000 dollars. Half of that money went to Kids Unlimited to assist them in their after school program and the other $1,000 to the Sister Theresa Kohles Fund at the Providence Hospital Medical Center.

Tom Cole from Kids Unlimited was so impressed by how great a job Wesley did that he is having Wesley DJ again at Main One to raise funds for Kids Unlimited After School Program this Saturday, February 25 at a Mardi Gras Party. This is a dance party for Under 21.