Michael Lubniewski’s sister Ella has suffered from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since she was 18 months old. Now a second grader at Merrimac Elementary School, Ella has her big brother’s support in all that she does and Michael took it upon himself to launch a fundraiser for The Arthritis Foundation.
He initially had a goal of raising $500 to help with research and awareness. He wanted Merrimac students to find out more about it since many students do not realize that children can have arthritis.
There was an open forum and presentation (see slides below) for Ella and Michael to talk about their real life experiences. He spoke about how he helps her in the morning to get ready for school, how brave she is, and how she has some good and bad days.
Ella shared that she loves sports and how she wants to help the researchers find a way to help her and others.
For the fundraiser, Michael placed peppermints in a jar and students guessed how many were in it with a winner receiving a Toys”R”Us gift card. Students donated to The Arthritis Foundation for the chance and they raised $670.
“We were all impressed with Ella’s courage and Michael’s desire to share her fight with our student body,” said Merrimac Principal Veronica DeCicco. “The presentation was quite impressive and displayed their strong leadership skills. We learned a lot about arthritis and how it impacts the young and old. He showed beginning with the end in mind can really make a difference.”
