Local Team Raises Money to Fight Childhood Cancer

Debbie Smith is determined to help the fight against childhood cancer. As the mother of a 6-year-old who died from cancer in 2008, she has pulled the community together for the cause.

Shortly after her daughter, Mackenzie Smith – a student at  –passed away, her mother formed a team that has raised thousands of dollars for CureSearch. CureSearch strives to provide funding for childhood cancer research and the organization hosts a walk in Metro Detroit each year for fundraising teams.

Smith's team, Mackenzie's Crusaders, is one of the top fundraising teams for southeast Michigan so far this year with $495. The team's goal is $10,000, which is about how much they raise every year.

Smith has received support from the community since she formed the team. Several local businesses including , , , , and have donated gift cards or items for the team to raffle off. Other businesses such as and have fundraiser jars for the team.

"Everyone kind of wrapped their arms around us and wanted to do anything they could to help," Smith said.

Mackenzie's Crusaders includes family, friends, community members and Clawson Mayor Penny Luebs. The team holds fundraisers and raffles at community events such as the .

"(Our team) does really well," Smith said. "We’ve got a lot of community support."

CureSearch holds walks across the country each year, spokeswoman Brecka Putnam said. The southeast Michigan walk is set for Sept. 22 at Rivard Plaza on the Detroit riverfront with a fundraising goal of $250,000. The walk attracts more than 1,000 people each year, Putman said.

"It’s a friendly competition," Putman said. "(Debbie) is walking to make sure that no one else has to go through what her family went through."

To make a donation to Mackenzie's Crusaders, visit the CureSearch website.