Optimists to host Pizza Palooza to raise money for treatments

ST. CLAIR SHORES — The Optimist Club of St. Clair Shores is hosting another Pizza Palooza fundraiser to help a local family get treatment for their little boy.

William Kemp has Level 3 autism, something that affects his ability to speak. He also experiences developmental delays and sensory issues because of it.

Last year, the event raised around $9,000 to help him get stem cell therapy in Florida. The therapy helped him regulate his emotions better, count, recognize colors and say words including “mama” and “dada.”

This year, the Optimists are hosting the event to raise money to help William get more stem cell therapy and further his progress.

Bryan Owens, a member of the Optimist Club of St. Clair Shores, said the event will be held from noon to 6 p.m. on July 20. One ticket costs $3 and four tickets cost $10 with each ticket good for one slice of pizza. Participants will then score the pizza based on which they think is the best. The event will be held at Blossom Heath Park located at 24800 Jefferson Avenue.

At press time, 12 businesses had signed on to participate. That’s two more than last year, Owens said, and everyone will be more prepared for the number of people expected.

Owens said the object of the treatment is to destroy inflammation in the frontal lobe of the brain.

“When you have any inflammation there, it’s what prevents a lot of learning skills,” Owens said. “Things like talking and sometimes understanding speech.”

There are many more things that inflammation in the brain can interfere with including memory, executive function, social behaviors and more.

Debbie DePape, president of the Optimist Club of St. Clair Shores, said hopefully the second treatment in Florida will be just as good as the first one. She said Owens came up with the initial idea last year and it exploded.

The fundraising goal this year is $10,000.

Awards will be given out to the best square pizza, the best round pizza, the best gluten free pizza, the overall highest scorer and the people’s choice award. Other awards will include a box folding contest for the pizza place employees.

Last year, DePape said, Owens gave out awards that were shaped like wooden pizza paddles engraved with the winners’ names and more information.

“We’re hoping to do the exact same thing this year,” DePape said. “Right now, we have even more pizza places signed on than there were last year and several of them are repeats so they know what they’re getting into.”

DePape said she believes pizza places ran out of pizza within 45 minutes of starting with a line out to the parking lot. She believes the pizza places will be more prepared.

“Being that last year was our first time, we had no idea that it was going to be the success that it was,” DePape said.

Owens hopes the fundraiser will go on for more years so they can help more families. He said it’s great for everyone including businesses, the club, the participating families and the family they help.

“Nobody loses in a fundraiser like this,” Owens said.