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| By Courtney Llewellyn Reminder Assistant Editor SPRINGFIELD Jen Balicki's mother, Alice M. Balicki, passed away in January 2007 after a battle with inflammatory breast cancer. Alice, a graduate of Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), worked as an operating room technologist (OR tech) for more than 35 years at both Baystate and Mercy medical centers and her daughter said Alice "absolutely loved her job and educating people." That's why Jen started a scholarship fund in her mother's memory for future OR techs. Jen awarded the first $500 scholarship to a future OR tech in May of this year, and this weekend, she will be hosting the first Alice M. Balicki Scholarship Fund Benefit at the John Boyle O'Reilly Club in Springfield on Sept. 12 from 6 to 11 p.m. She's hoping to raise $1,000 from the benefit and aims to award one $500 scholarship a semester in the future. The memorial scholarship is available to OR tech students at STCC who have completed their first semester at the school and are in good academic standing. "It's for OR techs who have a passion [for their work]," Jen said. She decided to host the scholarship fund benefit in September because Alice's birthday was Sept. 23 and Raymond O'Toole, a member of the John Boyle O'Reilly Club, helped her organize the event. "I worked with Alice's daughter for years at the Big Y," O'Toole said. "Jen used to give me rides home from work. I wish I had a chance to get to know her mother better." O'Toole thinks it's important for people to come out to this benefit because of the importance of family. He told the story of how, about 35 years ago, his brother in Ireland was suffering from kidney failure and the only person in his family who was a match for kidney donation was his younger sister, who lived in Chicopee. A fundraiser took place which had a huge response and the money raised was used to cover travel expenses and the cost of the surgery. "The fact that we had such a great turn out [for that fundraiser]... I knew we could do it again," he said. O'Toole added that he thought the Alice M. Balicki Scholarship Fund was a good cause and that that is the reason he is involved. The scholarship benefit will offer food, raffle prizes and music from a DJ for attendees. Tickets to the benefit are $20 each for $30 for two and are available at the door or by calling Jen at 781-2740 or O'Toole at 785-5437. Donations to the scholarship fund can also be sent to the STCC Foundation for the Alice M. Balicki Scholarship, 1 Armory Square, Suite 1, P.O. Box 9000, Springfield, MA 01102. |