DETROIT – It’s the annual event that brings out big names, and every year, it continues to grow in popularity.
Mark Wahlberg is in town for the Feldman Auto Children’s Miracle Network Celebrity Invitational.
“We’ve got a lot of friends that are very successful and have big hearts, and so we tell them to dig deep,” said Wahlberg. “It’s such an amazing cause.”
“We have the same people coming back for five years. Same sponsors, same celebrities, a lot of the same people coming back,” said Jay Feldman, Chairman/CEO of Feldman Automotive. “They say that it’s the best event they do all year.”
From sports to entertainment, the event features dozens of celebrities in what’s become a celebration of the kids at Corwell Health Children’s.
“Fighters, tough, resilient, for me, everything that we do is about giving back and inspiring others to live up to their full potential and to never give up on themselves and certainly believe that anything is possible,” Wahlberg said.
In five years at the Detroit Golf Club, the event has raised more than $6 million for Corewell Health Children’s and the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.
“The funds that we raise here over a year, it’s the hope that we have now for the future because this just gets bigger and bigger,” said Corewell Health President of SE Michigan, Lamont Yoder.
All in an effort to help kids in the Detroit area like Kennedy Shallal.
“Something unexpected can happen; a nosebleed can cause a leukemia diagnosis that puts your whole life in a tailspin,” said Kennedy’s mother, Cristina Shallal.
While undergoing treatment, she found comfort in the therapy dogs provided by the Children’s Miracle Network.
Millie, the golden retriever, is one of the dogs that help Kennedy through tough times.
They reunited at the Detroit Golf Club on Monday morning.
“It feels full circle now that Kennedy is doing so well, enjoying life, and just being a happy, energetic girl,” said Cristina Shallal. “It makes all the difference to know there’s people out there that care so much.”
Wahlberg created a close bond with Detroit, reconnecting with the kids who call Michigan home every year.
“To see them really thriving, it’s amazing,” Wahlberg concluded.
