Back Story:

Lynn Streeter introduced us to an exceptional young man by the name of Matthew Ceelen. Matt's story began with a letter to our club requesting financial support for his Eagle Scout project of building two bat houses to be placed in the Mequon Nature Preserve. With the request approved, we heard what Paul Harvey used to call "The rest of the story".

Matthew was diagnosed with bone cancer just weeks shy of his 15th birthday. In medical terms it is a high grade sclerosing subtype of osteosarcoma. Approximately 450 children in North America are diagnosed with osteosarcoma each year. He is 1 of approximately 4 children who will be diagnosed with his subtype of osteosarcoma in 2017. 

Update:

Matthew is celebrating his 16th birthday today. His birthday weekend started by watching the Badger Football team beat Western Kentucky. An early morning flight to Atlanta followed on Saturday. This trip was one thing Matthew had to look forward as he finished his freshman studies throughout the summer. The highlight of his trip was attending his first Boston Red Sox VICTORY over the Atlanta Braves with his parents and his friend Zach.

What a difference a year makes! He rang the bell on Aug 17 and celebrated the end of his treatment with all of you. He helped move Natalie to her dorm shortly before his school year started. The first week of his sophomore year ended with tests at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. There is no sign of cancer!

By A.J. Holzer

As I landed in the Durango airport, cramped into a small airplane, my entire Rotary career flashed before my eyes. I had joined Interact at the beginning of high school as a way to help my community and connect with others. And for most of my high school years, I was able to do just that, growing as a leader and learning from my peers. The experience was uniquely personal – all I knew of Rotary was my club and the work we did in the community. But in the summer of my sophomore year, my knowledge of Rotary was about to explode to an entirely new level.

As president of my Interact club, I had the opportunity to attend the 2017 Rotary International Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. I felt like a minnow tossed into the ocean. I was overwhelmed by the colossal reach of Rotary around the world. I learned about projects ranging from complex irrigation systems that allow for farming in Turkana, Kenya, to establishing an array of financial help for poor villagers in Guatemala. I met passionate Rotarians from all corners of the world, and was instantly inspired to look for a way to become involved at this level.