West Middle School choirs deliver powerful tribute to SJ5K honorees

Kleenex was optional for Tuesday night’s West Middle School choirs concert.

But having a few tears-absorbing tissues on hand was highly recommended.

In a touching tribute and fundraiser for the six honorees of the 2024 SJ5K event, West’s sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade choirs delivered a powerful 90-minute performance to a packed house in the school’s gymnasium.

Six of the 12 songs performed by the talented teens and tweens were selected by the families of the honorees — all of whom have faced incredible adversity during the past several months.

The tears that welled up in the crowd members’ eyes — or trickled down their cheeks — throughout the night were triggered by the honorees’ resilience and strength, not sadness or pity.

Amazing charity

The SJ5K — whose namesake is “Super” Jesse Lindlbauer, who in December of 2010 suffered a near-fatal brain injury — was launched in 2011 as a 5-K fundraising run, proceeds from which are donated to Plymouth-Canton families who have experienced life-altering health issues like Jesse.

Since 2011, the SJ5K has raised over $1 million for 65 local families who are facing crisis situations, the SJ5K website explained.

West Choir Director Janine Grady-Creedon explained the idea to turn the annual concert into a tribute/fundraiser for the SJ5K was inspired by a suggestion from former West teacher Beth Savalox.

“In 2018 or 2019, Beth ran the idea past me to make the concert a tribute for each year’s SJ5K families,” Grady-Creedon said. “Each family would choose a song that has inspired them through their ordeal.

“I thought it was an amazing idea and we’ve done it ever since. The students in the choir love the idea and we collaborate with them to come up with inspirational songs to add to the ones the SJ5K families choose.”

First-hand experience

The fundraiser hit home for Grady-Creedon in 2021 when her family was selected as a recipient family for the SJ5K. The popular Plymouth-Canton Community Schools teacher’s infant son Jaxson faced health issues that required open-heart surgery.

“I found out quickly,” Grady-Creedon said, tears welling up in her eyes, “how dynamic this organization is for families going through rough times. And once you’re a SJ5K family, you’re always an SJ5K family. We still receive cards and calls from the organizers, checking up on Jaxson, who I’m happy to report is 4 years old now and doing remarkably well.”

Grady-Creedon said the concert in which her son was honored was especially emotional.

“A former student of mine sang the song for us,” she said.

Grady-Creedon praised the efforts of Plymouth High School teacher Melanie Burkett and the group of P-CEP student leaders who organize the SJ5K events.

Touching tributes

Tuesday’s concert commenced with a 17-minute video introducing the six families to be honored during the 2024 SJ5K.

Despite being limited to just over one month to practice the six honorees’ songs — the families are asked to submit a song no later than mid-February — the choirs’ performance was remarkable.

Three choir members — sixth-grader Mickey Reed, seventh-grader E’Leena Bullock and eighth-grader Lily Kiobasa — performed crowd-pleasing solos that sparked thunderous applause.

This year’s honorees are Kyong Yuk, who is battling stomach cancer; the Harkins family, who lost father Jimmy to an aggressive form of kidney cancer on Christmas Eve 2023; Steve Rooney, who underwent a double-lung transplant in May of 2023; Tami Rogers, who was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer in January; Aakash Singh, who has lived his entire 21-year life with spastic cerebral palsy; and Jorgito Shqau, a Plymouth High School senior whose left leg was amputated below the knee after a cancerous tumor was discovered in his ankle.

To learn greater details about each honoree, visit the SJ5K website here.

The songs performed by the choirs in honor of the families included: “You Are My Sunshine” (the Yuk family), “Upside Down” (the Singh family), “You’ll Never Walk Alone (the Rooney family), “Fight Song” (the Rogers family), “Time of Your Life” (the Harkins family) and “Victorious” (the Shqau family).

Choirs were magnificent

All three choirs opened and closed the event with emotional renditions of “A Million Dreams” by Pink and “The Champion” by Carrie Underwood.

Donations were accepted at Tuesday’s concert. To register for this year’s SJ5K set for May 5 on the P-CEP campus, click here.

You can also make donations by visiting the SJ5K website.

“These are all families who have made great contributions to the Plymouth and Canton communities,” Grady-Creedon concluded. “This is an opportunity for us to show our appreciation in their greatest time of need.”

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.

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