Eleven-year-old Colin Muise and his nine-year-old brother Brandon never knew their maternal grandfather, Joseph Kidney, but they have honored his memory from the time they were born. Only days after Joseph succumbed to colon and liver cancer in June 1996, his family decided to participate in the NSMC Cancer WALK. “We had this brand new baby but knew we just had to work for my Dad,” explained Colin and Brandon’s mother, Kelly (Kidney) Muise. “Over twenty of us participated in the NSMC Cancer WALK that year and we raised over $1500. We’ve done the WALK every year since, with strollers, wagons, kids on our backs, every which way. We wouldn’t miss it.”

Supporting the NSMC Cancer Center is hardly a once-a-year event for the Muise family. Over the years, the boys have collected many thousands of recyclable cans, donating all the redemption money to the NSMC Cancer Center. Their father Alan’s employer, Sullivan and McLaughlin Company, also pitches in by keeping a large barrel in their shop for empty redeemable drink containers. Every time the barrel is full, they bag the contents and deliver it to the Muises, who rinse and sort them before turning them in. Alan, who is an electrician, also helps out with fundraising by transforming the family’s backyard into an elaborate haunted house every Halloween. It is open to the public in exchange for a donation of any size to the NSMC Cancer Center. But of all the ways to support the Cancer Center, the WALK is still a favorite for the boys. “It’s fun and we like helping people,” explained Colin.