Shannon Kenitz - A Powerhouse of Strength and Endurance

When Shannon gave birth to Grace on March 6, 1999, she was one of the happiest parents on earth. But her happiness began to fade as she noticed a change in her child. Grace wasn’t eating well and her eyes began to roll frequently. These symptoms were later diagnosed as seizures. By age five months, Grace was diagnosed as failure to thrive. This was the beginning of a long journey for Shannon and a test of her faith.  At age one, Grace was blind, being fed through a tube, weighed only eight pounds, and had received several blood transfusions, platelet transfusions, and albumin transfusions. She was completely non-verbal and unable to sit or crawl.

The exact cause of Grace’s illness was not determined until she was about one and a half years old. She was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Disease in the rarest form. Grace spent three years in the hospital and was tube-fed until she was five years old.   To add to her Mitochondrial condition, Grace was also diagnosed with Autism at age five and a half.

Through various treatments, Grace has experienced miraculous results.  In the beginning it was just a mom trying to save her daughter, but now Shannon’s dedication and commitment to finding alternative medicines and therapies is the saving grace for other parents.

Dante Wesley - A Model Athlete and Family Man

In the quiet town of Pine Bluff, Arkansas is where Dante’ Wesley grew up. Raised in a single family home, he and his brother had a strong woman for a mother who taught them how to become self-sufficient and to always live their lives from positive perspective.

Dante’ is a professional football athlete playing for the Chicago Bears. He graduated with the highest of honors from Arkansas Pine Bluff College. He believes that education is very important and his message to youth who dream of playing professional football is, “Football is not forever, you are going to always have to have a strong education behind you because that’s what people are looking for. They don’t care what kind of athlete you are but they want to know what you can do for their business.

When it comes to achieving goals, college life has taught him some very important lessons which he shares with all of us and applies to his life. “Never give up on what you want to do. Going through school and college here in Arkansas has really taught me to work hard and do my best”, says Wesley.

Wesley is an active supporter of his community and he is dedicated to giving back to other communities as well. He often speaks to youth about reaching their goals and maintaining a good academic standing.

Susie Kay - Making Dreams Come True for Washington, D.C. Inner-city Youth

Susie Kay has been scoring three-pointer baskets with inner-city students of the Washington, D.C., area since 1996 and hundreds of students have benefited. As founder of the Hoop Dreams Scholarship Foundation, Ms. Kay has formed a lasting partnership between community, businesses and students by matching students with mentors. What once seemed like a faded dream for many students in Washington, D.C. has now become a reality. Many of them are the first in their families to attend college.

The mission of Hoop Dreams is to empower and to give hope to many of the inner-city youth of the Washington, D.C. area, offering opportunities to build a solid foundation for life. Skills development, resources, and mentorships are all part of the foundation that supports academic achievements, healthy development and success. However, Hoop Dreams is about much more than scholarships. It’s about family. The volunteers, mentors and staff have all formed a tight bond with the students.

Fran Capo - Dare to Live Life to Its Fullest

From setting world records as the fastest female talker to climbing Kilimanjaro, to doing a book signing at the bottom of the ocean at the wreckage of the Titanic, Fran Capo is one of a kind when it comes to making dreams come true. When she sets her sights on a goal she accomplishes it.

Tenacity, thinking outside the box, passion and just plain doing it, are the ingredients to her success. “With anything in life, you have to have the passion,” Capo says. She states, “My mother taught me that nothing is impossible and my father taught me to always look at the humor in life.” Her thinking is “that if someone else can do it, I can do it.”

Her advice is to “fear nothing, but if you do, do it anyway. Live everyday as it it’s your last and one day you’ll be right.”