Sorgi-Led Blanket Drive Spreads Support
May 26, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The design was the same, the pattern was one they’d used, and the little girl had received her blanket right around Christmas while undergoing cancer treatments.
Nikki Sorgi has no way of knowing for sure if the blanket – described by an aunt who cares for the child during the school day – is one of more than 400 she, her older sister and Utica Ford classmates have donated to University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital over the last three years. But that doesn’t matter – the fact that a blanket, any blanket, is bringing a child comfort hits home as Sorgi considers what she’s helped to accomplish.
Sorgi is a recipient of an MHSAA/Lake Trust Credit Union “Community Service Award” for helping spearhead a campaign that stretched over the course of her high school career, with the co-leadership of her older sister Alex (a 2015 Ford graduate) and large contributions from her school’s National Honor Society chapter, student council and school store.
“It was really great to see, from the toy drive we started my freshman year, there are other kids out there who care,” Nikki Sorgi said. “A lot of people have this stereotypical view of teenagers, that they’re more concerned about themselves and what’s going on in their lives. It was cool to see other kids out there who care, who want to make a difference, even if they don’t have the ability to start their own project or event.”
Sorgi this fall will follow her sister Alex to Bowling Green State University, beginning studies toward an eventual career as a pediatrician. Providing care for children has been a major drive in her life since her freshman year, when she and Alex collected 250 toys to donate to hospitalized children.
About that time, a medical issue struck closer to home – a friend and classmate was diagnosed with cancer. Realizing that a toy drive was great for younger kids but not as much of a help for older ones, the Sorgi sisters turned their focus to creating homemade tie-knot fleece blankets that could comfort patients of all ages.
Sadly, the friend who inspired the drive, Stefan Oncia, died after his battle in December 2014. A month later, the first donation of 60 blankets went to Kids Kicking Cancer in Southfield. The following Christmas season, more than 150 blankets were donated to patients at C.S. Mott. This past Christmas, the Sorgis delivered nearly 200 more blankets.
Along the way, Ford’s NHS helped raise funds for materials, and more than 60 students helped assemble them during an after-school blanket-making party. The Bemis Junior High life skills class also has contributed blankets the last two years, and Nikki worked with her travel softball coach to make their holiday gift exchange instead a donation of blankets.
The girls’ mother Roni has had a number of big assists along the way, and that likely will continue with Nikki finishing up high school (she’ll also join her sister playing softball at BGSU). Nikki, a four-year varsity softball and basketball player, said she’s talked to her coach Matt Joseph (who coaches both teams) about ways to continue the blanket drive in the future. Her brother Joey will be a sophomore next year and is expected to pick up the cause, with the sisters returning home at Thanksgiving to help orchestrate the drive with the help of Ford sports teams or NHS if it remains involved.
Nikki will use the award as a scholarship toward paying for her education. Her desire to become a doctor started before she started playing such a large role in bringing patients comfort – but seeing how the blankets have impacted children at the hospital has swayed her toward pediatrics while also teaching her a few lessons in persistence and communication.
“It shows the blanket drive might be one small thing, but it shows how much one small thing can do for people who are sick, or struggling, whatever the case may be,” Sorgi said. “Even though it’s just a small gesture.”
The Community Service Awards are sponsored by the Michigan High School Athletic Association and Lake Trust Credit Union to recognize student-athletes' efforts to improve the lives of others in their communities. In addition to the $1,000 award, the Lake Trust Foundation is awarding an additional $500 to each honoree, to be donated to a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization of the awardee’s choice.
PHOTOS: (Top) Utica Ford senior Nikki Sorgi sits in front of a mountain of homemade blankets headed for C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. (Middle) Sorgi, with older sister Alex (right) and Kevin Smith from Mott community relations, delivers the blankets to the hospital. (Photos courtesy of the Sorgi family.)
2017 Community Service Awards
Sunday: Colon "Yard Squad" - Read
Monday: Bailey Brown, Brighton - Read
Tuesday: Justice Ottinger, Newaygo - Read
Thursday: Katie Sesi, Ann Arbor Huron - Read
2019 Scholar-Athlete Finalists Announced
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 22, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The 120 finalists for the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2018-19 school year, presented by Farm Bureau Insurance, have been announced.
The program, in its 30th year, has recognized student-athletes since the 1989-90 school year and again this winter will honor 32 individuals from MHSAA member schools who participate in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament.
Farm Bureau Insurance underwrites the Scholar-Athlete Awards and will present a $1,000 scholarship to each recipient. Since the beginning of the program, 768 scholarships have been awarded.
Scholarships will be presented proportionately by school classification, with 12 scholarships to be awarded to Class A student-athletes, six female and six male; eight scholarships will be awarded to Class B student-athletes, four female and four male; six scholarships will be awarded to Class C student-athletes, three female and three male; and four scholarships will be awarded to Class D student-athletes, two female and two male. In addition, two scholarships will be awarded at-large to minority recipients, regardless of school size.
Every MHSAA member high school could submit as many applications as there are scholarships available in its classification, and could have more than one finalist. Detroit Catholic Central has four finalists this year while Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, Northville and St. Joseph each have three. Twelve schools each have two finalists: Ann Arbor Pioneer, Big Rapids, Davison, Fenton, Grand Rapids West Catholic, Grosse Pointe South, Marlette, Novi, Okemos, Saranac, Traverse City Central and White Lake Lakeland.
Multiple-sport participation remains the norm among applicants. The average sport participation rate of the finalists is 2.4. There are 77 three-plus sport participants in the finalists field, and all but two of the 28 sports in which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments are represented.
Of 418 schools which submitted applicants, 30 submitted the maximum allowed. This year, 1,645 applications were received. All applicants will be presented with certificates commemorating their achievement. Additional Scholar-Athlete information, including a complete list of scholarship nominees, can be found on the MHSAA Website.
The applications were judged by a 65-member committee of school coaches, counselors, faculty members, administrators and board members from MHSAA member schools. Selection of the 32 scholarship recipients will take place in early February. Class C and D scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 5, Class B scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 12 and Class A scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 19. All announcements will be made on the MHSAA Website.
To honor the 32 Scholar-Athlete Award recipients, a ceremony will take place during halftime of the Class C Boys Basketball Final, March 16, at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing.
To be eligible for the award, students must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) and previously have won a varsity letter in at least one sport in which the MHSAA sponsors a postseason tournament. Students also were asked to respond to a series of short essay questions, submit two letters of recommendation and a 500-word essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.
Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan was founded in 1949 by Michigan farmers who wanted an insurance company that worked as hard as they did. Those values still guide the company today and are a big reason why it is known as Michigan’s Insurance Company, dedicated to protecting the farms, families, and businesses of this great state. Farm Bureau Insurance agents across Michigan provide a full range of insurance services—life, home, auto, farm, business, retirement, Lake Estate®, and more—protecting nearly 500,000 Michigan policyholders.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.
2018-19 Scholar-Athlete Award Finalists
BOYS CLASS A
Colin Czajkowski, Brownstown Woodhaven
David DeBacker, Detroit Catholic Central
Joseph Hardenbergh, Detroit Catholic Central
Keegan Koehler, Detroit Catholic Central
Ryan Marra, Detroit Catholic Central
Jack Killian, Fenton
Noah Stout, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central
Ryan Downey, Grosse Pointe South
Michael Willard, Grosse Pointe South
Samuel Martens, Holland
Carson Currie, Lapeer
Noah Kinnucan, Muskegon Mona Shores
Daniel McLaughlin, Northville
Matthew George, Novi
Trey Mullins, Novi
Carson Krumm, Okemos
Harrison Poeszat, Orchard Lake St. Mary's
Parker Raymond, Rochester Adams
Nolan Rich, St. Joseph
Edward Roe, Traverse City Central
Michael Song, Troy
John Tisch, Utica
Trent Farquhar, White Lake Lakeland
Avery Robinson, Wyoming
GIRLS CLASS A
Anna Scott, Ann Arbor Huron
Alexa Easter, Ann Arbor Pioneer
EmJ Rennich, Ann Arbor Pioneer
McKenna Evans, Battle Creek Lakeview
Ariella Cuellar, Bay City Central
Emily Moriartey, Davison
Ellie Timmons, Davison
Audrey Whiteside, East Grand Rapids
Chloe Idoni, Fenton
Lexi Loehfelm, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern
Adele Kemp, Greenville
Addison Irish, Hudsonville
Maya Albright, Midland
Mariella Simoncini, Northville
Claire Wan, Northville
Alma Cooper, Okemos
Yveloute Rea, Petoskey
Elizabeth Bulat, Rochester
Megan Corbe, St. Joseph
Cailey Rooker, St. Joseph
Jade Turner, Traverse City Central
Madeline Purvis, Troy Athens
Madeline Rehm, White Lake Lakeland
Megan Morehouse, Zeeland East
BOYS CLASS B
Sam Bussler, Battle Creek Harper Creek
Pierce Morrissey, Big Rapids
Clark Doman, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Justin Luo, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Alex Netzley, Cadillac
Noah Doederlein, Carleton Airport
Adam Bruce, Gladstone
Jack Perry, Michigan Center
Connor Swinehart, Newaygo
Michael Gormley, North Branch
Isaac Waffle, Olivet
Tommee Smith, Sparta
Cooper Clark, Stevensville Lakeshore
Dillon Mochty, Tawas
Dylan Day, Tecumseh
Ethan McKenzie, Whitehall
GIRLS CLASS B
Kamryn Cushway, Big Rapids
Salena Prakah-Asante, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Eleri Giem, Boyne City
Lauren Anderson, Charlotte
Olivia Haring, Clare
Daisy Ansel, Comstock
Sarah Bidgood, Comstock Park
Chloe Bartz, Edwardsburg
Zoe Neirink, Frankenmuth
Bridget Kohane, Grand Rapids West Catholic
Dana Wila, Grand Rapids West Catholic
Lindsey Jurecki, Grosse Ile
Robin LeFevere, Imlay City
Sophie Moccio, Milan
Emily Unger, Montague
Mallory Kean, Yale
BOYS CLASS C
Trey Feldeisen, Ann Arbor Greenhills
Brian Goetz, Blissfield
Timothy Marvin, Byron
Noah Waldron, Concord
Jared Swiontek, East Jackson
Alexander VanDeWeghe, Ithaca
Jack Sumners, Marcellus
Logan Marshall, Marlette
Logan Solgat, Marlette
Dane Smitz, Roscommon
Drew Ward, Saranac
Nathan Huizar, Vassar
GIRLS CLASS C
Sarah Barnes, Houghton Lake
Precious Delos Santos, Indian River Inland Lakes
Riley Poupore, Iron Mountain
Lauren Freeland, Kent City
Megan Dopheide, Lawton
Elizabeth O'Hotzke, Manchester
Joslyn Muth, Manistique
Rachel Allen, Mason County Central
Jordan Cooper, Saranac
Thea Johnson, Saugatuck
Lillian Bambacht, Union City
Jordan Craven, Whitmore Lake
BOYS CLASS D
Jake Lane, Climax-Scotts
Brendan LeClaire, Dollar Bay
William Newbold, Frankfort
John Slivka, Manistee Catholic Central
Ryan Yahner, McBain Northern Michigan Christian
Noah Krepostman, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
Brendan Zeien, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
Brandon Scheurer, Portland St. Patrick
GIRLS CLASS D
Keagan Fischer, Bellaire
Lyndsi Wolfe, Fulton
Natalie Woodland, Lansing Christian
Samantha Somers, Mackinaw City
Scout Nelson, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
Abbey Bullis, Peck
Jessie Rieth, Three Oaks River Valley
Julia Diskin, West Bloomfield Frankel Jewish Academy