Game-changing support
MDOC staff and prisoners raise money, take a stand against childhood cancer
For the last four years, Jason Carr has been raising money and awareness for pediatric brain cancer research in honor of his son, Chad.
A rare form of the disease took Chad Carr’s young life in 2015 and the ChadTough Foundation sprung up in his memory, drawing nationwide support to fight the illness.
Every year, the family could feel Chad leading them in different directions and connecting them with different people as they pursued their mission to beat childhood cancer, Carr said.
Last year, they were led to an additional well of support in an unexpected place: G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility.
Prisoners there participated in a virtual 5K, raising $2,000 for the ChadTough Foundation and sparking conversations about the importance of giving.
The event was so successful, prisoners took to the track again this year for the run, and were joined by a special guest — Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack.
After hearing about the 2018 fundraising run at the facility and generosity of prisoners, McCormack pledged that she would participate in the 5K at the facility in 2019.
She kept her word and joined more than 100 prisoners in a run behind the gates of Cotton Correctional Facility, where prisoners again raised $2,000 for the ChadTough Foundation.
McCormack said the generosity of prisoners had the power to move others to action.
“Anybody can do good at any time,” McCormack said. “When we do, it does inspire more.”
Inspiration from inside the walls
Of the 70 or so events the ChadTough Foundation was involved in through 2018, the 5K at the prison was by far the most talked about, Carr said.
“I said to my wife, ‘I swear it’s every other day I’m having a conversation about Cotton,’” Carr said.
People wanted to know how the event at the prison started and why prisoners chose to give.
Ultimately, it motivated others to give back too, said Carr, a former University of Michigan quarterback.
“When people hear about what you’re doing, you’re making people out there say ‘What am I doing?’” Carr told prisoners before they set out to run on the facility’s yard in mid-September. “I promise you, today there are people out there in their own communities doing amazing things. A year ago, they weren’t doing it, but they were inspired by your story and your willingness to help out and it moved them to action.”
The ChadTough Foundation has raised nearly $8 million to date to fight pediatric brain cancers, like diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), which claimed Chad’s life .
“When you guys are out here running today, I’m certainly going to be thinking about Chad, but I’m also going to be thinking about those people you’re running for and honoring,” Carr said.
Carr was also stopped by a prisoner who had played football for the University of Michigan. Though he walked with a cane, he looked forward to participating in the event.
Christine McCumber-Hemry, a grievance coordinator at the facility who organized the 2018 and 2019 events, said prisoners were excited to give.
“They were ready to donate and ready to run,” she said. “Many of them that didn’t get signed up in time have asked how they can donate.”
James Adrian, a prisoner at the facility, said he believed showing his support for the Carr family and others battling cancer was the least he could do.
“Anything I can do to better the prison and better the community, I’m all for it,” he said.
Greater giving
Prisoners at G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility aren’t the only ones giving back.
Staff at Carson City Correctional Facility held a special ceremony for the grandson of a retired facility resident unit manager, who was also diagnosed with DIPG.
The boy, Peyton, has a love for law enforcement, so staff invited him to the facility for a special event in May where he was named an honorary corrections officer, Emergency Response Team member and Honor Guard member.
Michigan State Industries made him his own corrections officer uniform and the day included cake, balloons and visits from other area law enforcement agencies such as Michigan State Police, Montcalm County Sheriff’s Department, and the Carson City police and fire departments.
Facility staff continue to raise money for Peyton and his family, said Carson City Administrative Assistant Dana Gonzales.
Peyton’s grandfather, retired Resident Unit Manager Brian Miller, said the ceremony “meant the world” to Peyton and his family.
“It was very emotional seeing my colleagues showing up to support Peyton,” Miller said. “I was not surprised though, as correctional staff are always there for one another.”
The memory of another young boy motivated more than 160 people in the Upper Peninsula to participate in an inaugural 5K for the Brody Strong Foundation, which supports pediatric brain cancer research.
The foundation was created in honor of Ontonagon County Parole and Probation Agent Tanya Etelamaki’s son, Brody, who passed away in 2014 from a fast-growing form of brain cancer called glioblastoma.
The 5K raised $12,000 and the foundation has raised and donated more than $40,000 to pediatric brain cancer research.
Etelamaki has said she hopes raising awareness and money to support pediatric cancer research will improve survival rates for children diagnosed with the disease.
