Foundation Youth Awards - October 2008
The presentations were made at the Rotary Club of Corvallis luncheon on October 23, 2008.
Teens honored for courage and a rescue
by the Gazette-Times 10/26/08
Two high school students have won honors from the Benton County Foundation for community service and heroism, even in the face of life-threatening situations.
Alice Heinz, a sophomore at Crescent Valley High School, won the foundation’s Founders’ Trophy Award.
Heinz was honored for serving as a role model and volunteer for other young people battling through cancer. When she was an infant, she was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder which causes tumors to grow. With the help of doctors and surgeons at Doernbecher’s Children’s Hospital in Portland, she’s been fighting off brain tumors since she was 5. The disorder has been in remission for two years.
Heinz visits other children to talk about their experiences with cancer and to help prepare them for the rigors of chemotherapy. She is a spokesperson for the Red Cross and recruits blood donors.
Last year, she was selected by Doernbecher to participate in a fund-raising effort which pairs patients with Nike shoe designers to create custom shoes that are used to raise money for the hospital. The program has raised more than $500,000 for the hospital over the last four years. A pair of Heinz’s shoes autographed by Tiger Woods brought in $10,000 at a Portland-area auction.
She is the daughter of John and Susan Heinz.
Travis Williams, a junior at Philomath High School, won the foundation’s Youth Hero Award for his bravery in the face of a fire that damaged his family’s house in June.
Williams, 16, was awakened on the night of June 2 by the sound of breaking glass and the smell of smoke. He woke his parents and then found the family’s dog hiding behind the TV. He rescued the dog, called 911 and then, despite having cut and burned feet, took off toward a main road so that fire engines could find the house.
Williams’ name has been engraved on “Moment of Decision,” a statue outside the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis that is meant to honor the recipients of the Youth Hero Award. Williams, the son of Mike and Tessa Hansen, received a replica of the statue.
Both Heinz and Williams received checks for $4,000.
Both awards were established by Bob and Billie Holcomb, longtime Corvallis residents. The awards were presented at Thursday’s meeting of the Rotary Club of Corvallis.