Photos by Brett Moun ta in

Adam Cohen of Royal Oak, Lauren Maiman of Beverly Hills,

Camp Casey founder Molly Melamed of Ferndale, Katherine Green of Ferndale,
Moe, and equine director Amy Gill of Ferndale imigail
itittilikabilamik

'lucking Cancer

Young patients get a chance to take the reins.

Judith Doner Berne
Special to the Jewish News

M

olly Melamed has had a love affair with horses
since she was 10 years old.
She spent summers on horseback at Black
River Farm and Ranch in Croswell, Mich., first as a camp-
er and then as a counselor.
Even as a journalism student at Michigan State
University, Melamed taught riding at a nearby farm.
That's where she came into contact with 11-year-old
Casey Foote, who also had a special feeling for horses —
but it was as she battled bone and brain cancer.
"Until her final days:' Melamed says, "Casey sought
emotional relief from her illness by riding and grooming
her favorite horse, Brandy.
"When she passed away at age 12, I knew that I could
use the skills I learned at Black River to organize a pro-
gram for kids like her"
Originally, "Camp Casey" was designed to be a one-time
event where children with cancer and their families could
horseback ride and enjoy horses the way Casey had, says
Melamed, who is now 27.
But after hearing one camper call it "the best day of
my life,' Melamed, who grew up in Farmington Hills and
graduated from Walled Lake Western High School, consid-
ered whether Camp Casey could develop into more than a
one-shot experience.
When she returned to Metro Detroit after graduating

from MSU,"I decided to try my hand at fundraising to keep
Camp Casey running. Now we reach over 200 kids a year."

Horsey House Call
That's how 3-year-old Will Pennanen, diagnosed with leu-
kemia in May, found himself on the back of a horse named
Moe on a July Saturday right in his own backyard.
'After 10 weeks of treatment, all the leukemia cells are
gone says his dad, Paul Pennanen, as he waited at their
Oxford home for a "Horsey House Call:' one of the ways
in which Camp Casey serves children with cancer.
Over the next few hours, Will took several turns
atop Moe, following the lead of his brother Jack, 5, and
assorted cousins. They were led by Camp Casey staffers
Lauren Maiman, a Beverly Hills resident who works at
CKC Publications in West Bloomfield, and Amy Gill of
Ferndale, who works at Bizdom, a Detroit nonprofit.
Both have been Melamed's friends since they met as
riding counselors at Black River.
Maiman, who handles community relations, and Gill,
who is equine and safety director, are paid. Melamed
says, "It covers their expenses. Katherine and Adam are
volunteers."
She was referring to Adam Cohen, an executive
recruiter who lives in Royal Oak, and Katherine Green,
a real estate agent from Ferndale, who were keeping the
kids busy on a craft project and serving pizza and drinks
when it wasn't the kids' turn to ride Moe.
"Molly started Camp Casey and I wanted to be a part of

Dana, Will and Paul Pennanen of Oxford

it," says Green, who also serves on the organization's
board. "I love going on the outings. It's great to get my
mind out of the office and be with horses and kids."
For Cohen, who has been involved in Camp Casey fun-
draisers, this was the first time he had worked an outing.
"I'm really fascinated:' he said. "I've watched Molly grow
this for a long time."

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