Thank you to everyone who has donated to The LiveLovely Foundation.  3 year old Ethan had a mass the size of a man’s fist on his kidney.  Between blood test, bone marrow tests, and surgery to remove the mass, the medical bills continue to pile up.  This is typical for thousands of families all over the world, and in Ethan’s case he was lucky, the mass turned out to be benign.  However, Ethan and his family will be affected by this for many years to come.  If you would like to donate to Ethan’s family, or simply help our cause please visit www.livelovely.org and click donate.

Allison Farris commencement speech, Walker High School Class of 2011

Good evening ladies and gentlemen.  My name is Allison Farris, vice-president of the Walker High School Class of 2011.  On behalf of this year’s Senior Class, it is my distinct privilege to welcome you to tonight’s commencement ceremony celebrating the one hundred and first graduating class of Walker High School.

At this time, I have the honor of welcoming and introducing Dr. Robert Sparkman, Superintendent of the Jasper City Schools, Mr. Jeremy Crigger, Principle of Walker High School, our distinguished Board Members of the Jasper City school system, various administrators, faculty and staff at Walker High School, special guests, and an especially warm welcome to the parents and family members of tonight’s graduating class.

Many of you may be wondering why there is an open seat in row nine, seat number eight, directly behind me in tonight’s graduating class. Two and a half years ago our class experienced a harsh, life-changing experience. This open seat is reserved for the memory of a basketball star, a class president, a scholar, a diplomat, and a best friend.  This seat is reserved for the memory   of our classmate Charlie McKinley Lovely who was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia on the day after he celebrated his 16^th birthday. Tragically, Charlie lost his battle with cancer sixty-two days later.

Charlie’s motto in life was the verse in Philippians “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me,” where the Apostle Paul is encouraging the believers to have faith and confidence.  Charlie epitomized this attitude by having an open heart and open mind towards everyone, by putting others before himself, by having a cheerful demeanor, and always beaming with a broad smile.

I believe that these are qualities that Charlie would like for us all to keep and nourish as we go forward in life.

With his loss, our class has come to realize the fact that everyday is not guaranteed, and that life must be lived to the fullest.

Edward Gibbon once said, “Every man who rises above the common level has received two educations: the first from his teachers; the second, more personal and important, from himself.” However, I disagree with Mr. Gibbon. I believe there are not only two, but three levels of education, the other being from our families who have taught us the fundamentals and have given us a firm foundation, and because of this you have motivated and encouraged us to be the best we can be.

Tonight as we are closing this chapter in our lives, and are pursuing our futures, we have prepared ourselves to the best of our abilities, without fear or trepidation, to achieve our goals and to remember the phrase, carpe diem, seize the day. And for this we thank each and every one of you parents, faculty, and fellow classmates. Good luck class of 2011 and always remember to LIVELOVELY each and every day!

Charlie’s sister on “Health Matters” with Edie Hand.  In this episode of “Health Matters” Edie sits down with Laken at the Relay for Life in Jasper, AL. and discusses The LiveLovely Foundation and Charlie’s book, THROUGH CHARLIE’S EYES. Also, make sure to check out “Health Matters” at healthmattersalabama.com and on Facebook

The LiveLovely Foundation has awarded $25,000 to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN for a research project focused on improving care for adolescents and young adults. For more information check out our LiveLovely Grant Announcement Release on our news page!