Where there is great love...

Peter Powerhouse is growing so rapidly and as I work through different scenarios about how and when to grow, hiring help, utilizing interns, and where do I house these talented people? I find myself falling behind in my blog posts.  Tonight was special for Peter and I on many levels so I wanted to post before the moment faded.
 
We just returned home from a lovely evening with the Special Education Club at Gwynedd Mercy University, they had a generous check to present to The Peter Powerhouse Foundation.  Two years ago at their 5K Walk/Run they presented Peter with the first Alex Valeno Hero Award.  Peter blow a canned horn to signal the start of the run and then dropped the can and ran the race.  Afterward they had some nice things to say about him and some nice gifts for a very inspiring little boy who had been an amputee for less than a year, and just ran their 5K on arm-cuff crutches. 
 
That was when we had our first introduction to Alex Valeno, a brave young women with an engaging smile and an infectious zest for learning, teaching, 5K races and life.  We didn’t get to meet Alex that day, we met her parents and other education majors that had loved her, sadly, Alex was taken from this world, before she would grace her own classroom,  by a congenital heart condition. 
 
We returned to Gwynedd for the Alex Valeno Run in April, this time Peter’s foundation was honored to be sharing in the proceeds from the event.  We ran, walked and wheel chaired (if that’s a word) through the beautiful course and listened to the kind words that were once again shared about Alex.
 
Tonight I had the opportunity to share a bit about our journey with childhood cancer, some of the highs and lows.  Hard things like, just how close we’ve come to saying good-bye to Peter.  I was able to address Mrs. Valeno briefly, I’m always struck by the fortitude that it takes to survive the single greatest loss known to man, the loss of a child.  I’m grateful that she is willing to share Alex’s life each April during the race named for her daughter and on evenings like this, it is her great love that allows Alex’s life to continue to be a miracle to so many. 
 
We at the Peter Powerhouse foundation don’t take miracles lightly, nor do we take lightly the generosity of those that support our mission.  Thank you to the students, faculty, and advisors of the Gwynedd Mercy Special Education Club and the Family of Alex Valeno for entrusting us with your generous gift.
 
“Where there is great love, there are always miracles.”
 
― Willa Cather