NOVI — Actor Mark Wahlberg and Jay Feldman once again took to the green, along with several other celebrities and sponsors, for the Feldman Automotive Children’s Miracle Network Celebrity Golf Invitational at the Detroit Golf Club June 9. The annual event raises money for the Children’s Miracle Network programming at Corewell Health Children’s and the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.

Wahlberg, who is known for his strong Catholic faith, said that he feels that God is calling him to do this and that it is the purpose God chose for him.

“Obviously, it’s always about giving back. I don’t think that I’ve been put in the position that I’m in to forget about where I come from and the adversity that I faced as a young person, and so anything that we can do to give back,” Wahlberg said. “So everything that we do is based on being aspirational and telling people that there isn’t anything that they can’t accomplish or overcome despite the hand that they’ve been dealt.”

This year, the event raised $1.3 million, all of which will directly benefit children and their families in southeast Michigan, according to Lamont Yoder, RN, president of Corewell Health Southeast Michigan. Children’s Miracle Network programs help children from birth to 18, Yoder said.

During the event, five local children and their families, who have each endured various trials and tribulations as a result of different health conditions, emphasized the importance of the philanthropic event.

Kennedy Shallal, 8, of Rochester Hills, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in December of 2020, at the age of 4. Complicating the harshness of the diagnosis and treatment were the restrictions in place at the time with the COVID-19 pandemic, but Children’s Miracle Network therapy dogs Olive and Millie came to her aid by providing comfort and support as she endured long and grueling chemotherapy sessions.

“Children’s Miracle Network has been a huge help in Kennedy’s treatment, and the programs that they do, especially the dog therapy program, has been huge for her,” said Kennedy’s mom, Cristina Shallal.

Cristina Shallal said the dog therapy program helped by giving her daughter something to look forward to during her treatments and made it easier to get Kennedy out the door and to treatment.

“Whenever she would have to come in for treatments, we would align it with Olive’s visits and it made such a huge difference in just, like, her demeanor, being able to interact with the nurses, not fighting us on everything, not screaming — the whole hospital could hear her when she was going through treatments, So Olive just sitting there made such a huge difference.”

Cristina Shallal said Olive would cuddle up to Kennedy and sit with her while she was undergoing treatment.

Kennedy has been in remission since April of 2023 and is expected to be in total remission in 2026. Her love and appreciation for the Children’s Miracle Network therapy dogs were on full display during the golf outing, as she could be seen hugging and playing with them.

“Therapy dogs make such an amazing difference, especially for kids,” Yoder said. “Some of these kids and families are scared the first time that they heard ‘cancer,’ and the dogs really help these kids get through some of the toughest days and weeks of their lives.”

Mila Sikes, 10, of Sterling Heights, spent her first 135 days of life in the neonatal intensive care unit after being born 16 weeks premature. During that time, Mila was aided by equipment provided by CMN, such as preemie-sized pressure cuffs, breathing cannulas, and devices to treat retinopathy. As a result, she was able to overcome the multiple challenges she faced as a result of being a micro-preemie, including bradycardia, bronchial pulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy, nephrosis, a congenital heart defect and a brain bleed. Today she is a healthy, spunky and energetic kid who enjoys telling her story and helping CMN as a Miracle Kid.

“I guess it makes me feel special (to be called a Miracle Kid),” Mila said. “When I raise money for kids, it kind of makes me feel good.”

Everett LaBrash, 2, of Sterling Heights, made his second appearance at the event. Everett was born prematurely, at just over 31 weeks, which resulted in some issues with his lungs. He developed pneumothorax and had to be placed on a ventilator. During his long hospital stay, Everett’s parents, Alex and Marianne LaBrash, were able to utilize fold-out furniture, which was provided to the hospital by CMN. Today Everett is actively reaching all his milestones.

Fran Watson, of Southfield, has attended the event for the last four years. She is the 2024 recipient of the Alma Wahlberg award. Her children, Braylen, 13, and Rylee, 11, have receptive and expressive language disorder, which resulted in speech delays. CMN was able to provide her children with speech therapy, and today they both love to talk. Watson says she enjoys coming to the event to tell their story to bring awareness and help other families who may be in need of CMN’s services.

“To me, this event is a powerful steppingstone to helping families in need,” she said. “You never know who may need the help or what child is going through what. So, it’s a very good opportunity just to create awareness to other families who may need that help. That help is there if needed.”

Over the years, Braylen and Rylee have gotten to know Wahlberg through the event and his work with CMN. They lovingly refer to him as their BFF (best friend forever) and said they were excited to see him this year, as they hadn’t seen him in two years. Wahlberg was not able to attend last year’s event due to his film schedule.

“It’s very sweet,” Wahlberg said. “Especially to see Rylee and her family, knowing her for many years now, and watching her thrive, it’s amazing.”

Patrick Rugiero, owner of The Roman Village and Antonio’s restaurants, has been an event sponsor for the last five years. He said that it is a great cause with a lot of need.

“It’s heartwarming to see, and as I always say, we need more of this and we need more people involved, because there is so much need in our communities,” Rugiero said.

“Being part of this event each year and seeing the support and generosity of so many people is so inspiring. Knowing that the money we raise is helping children and their families with programs and vital equipment makes this all worthwhile. We will continue to strive to raise more money each year to be able to support those families in need,” Jay Feldman, chairman/CEO for Feldman Automotive and Mark Wahlberg Automotive Group, said in a press release.