By: Charity Meier | C&G Newspapers | Published June 17, 2026
ROCHESTER HILLS — June 8 was a special day to golf in Rochester Hills.
The smiles of children who have overcome various health challenges were on display at the Wyndgate Country Club, outshining even the most well-known celebrities who let their handicaps on the course be known to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network and the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation during the annual Feldman Automotive Children’s Miracle Celebrity Invitational.
“I’m really looking forward to putting a spotlight on our youngest patients and their families, our miracle children,” said Ryan Daly, president of the Corewell Health Foundation Southeast Michigan. “We’ve got a great course, we’ve got a great set of sponsors and celebrities, but it’s about our patients and families. So, I’m excited for everyone to get a chance to get to know them.”
During the event, five children and their families were on hand to champion the work that CMN does to better the lives of over 325,000 children and families in metro Detroit.
Maxwell (Max) Majewski, 4, of Grand Blanc, was one of those children melting hearts with a smile. Max was diagnosed with torticollis at just 2 months old; at 4 months, he was diagnosed with plagiocephaly, and then at age 2, he was diagnosed with childhood-onset de novo spastic paraplegia type 4. He has a specific genetic variant that is so rare that only 23 people in the world have been diagnosed with it, according to a press release. The disease causes him to have limited mobility due to stiffness in his limbs and severe difficulties with speech and cognition.
“We were very scared. We felt isolated, alone and worried for his future. There’s so many unknowns when you get news like that,” said his mother, Liz Majewski.
Majewski said that a couple of weeks after her son was diagnosed with SPG4, they attended CMN Bike Day, where Max was fitted for an adaptive bike. However, she said it wasn’t just the new adaptive bike that CMN provided her family with that day; CMN also provided an entire support system of children and families who are dealing with the devastation of childhood illness.
“We were in a room full of other children who had various abilities and disabilities, some of them were in wheelchairs like my Max, some in strollers, some walking, and we just felt like, ‘Wow, there’s a whole community here. We’re not the only ones. There’s lots of other people,’” she said. “And then we watched all of the therapists and volunteers from CMN, and how they supported those families, and the families were so happy, and it just brought a lot of light to our family and changed our course. After that, we kind of took a breath and said, ‘We can do this. We can do this.’”
The adaptive bike made a world of difference for Max and his family, as it enabled him to be included in things with his older siblings and the other neighborhood kids. Majewski said Max loves to race his sister and brother on his bike.
Big sister, Maddie, 9, said she likes to race bikes with her brother, even though he often wins.
“It’s really joyful to see him happy and laughing instead of just sitting there not being able to do anything,” said Maddie.
Loula Papavasiliou, of Madison Heights, also stressed how influential CMN has been for her and her twin daughters, Alicia and Aliya, 8. She said the twins were born premature and have been in and out of the hospital their entire lives as a result of a genetic disorder called Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome. The disorder puts the twins at high risk for childhood cancers and has resulted in numerous other health issues and surgeries for the girls. The twins still undergo bloodwork and ultrasounds every three months.
Papavasiliou said that the CMN Children’s Life ministry has provided the girls with toys and books during their hospital stays.
“They made them feel comfortable,” she said.
“As nervous as I was when they were in there so long, that helped me a lot, like helped me get through it, and the nurses there 100% helped me get though a lot of it and all the equipment and everything, the incubators and they were on CPAPs and all these machines that helped them get through a lot, so we’re paying it forward,” said the girls’ older sister, Alexandria Papavasiliou, 25.
The all-star event is typically hosted by Mark Wahlberg himself, but this year, Kevin James, star of “The King of Queens,” and most recently “Solo Mio,” stepped up to the plate to fill in for his friend, who is filming in Australia.
Jim Wahlberg said he hesitated to ask his friend to fill in for his brother, as he did not want to burden him with yet another task, but the words were not even out of his mouth before James agreed to do it.
“I’m happy to be here. I answered quickly because I haven’t had a job in a while and I just wanted to be able to get out and do something,” James joked.
He admitted that celebrities do get asked to do a lot of fundraisers, and he said that this one is special.
“I was blown away the last time I was here,” James said. “Everybody is so great and nice. It’s true, and I’m just honored to be able to come here and to help,” he said.
He said that he was there for the mothers and parents who don’t have a healthy child, and they have to carry that with them throughout the day. He stressed that those who do have a healthy family really need to think about how blessed they are, and how they can help others who don’t have that.
“You are only as happy as your least happy child, and you carry that with you throughout the day,” James said.
The event raised over $1.21 million.
“We are delighted with the incredible success of this event and the impact it has on our patients and the community,” Daly said in a press release.
“It’s a powerful and meaningful way to gather together to make a difference,” Daly said in the release.
According to the press release, the funds will go to support CMN programming at Corewell Health Children’s in partnership with the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.
“Each year, this event serves as a powerful reminder of what can be accomplished when a community comes together for a meaningful cause,” Jay Feldman, chairman and CEO of Feldman Automotive and Mark Wahlberg Automotive Group, said in a press release. “The generosity of the participants and supporters continues to make a real difference in the lives of children and their families.”