St. Charles resident Michael Burke has never let cystic fibrosis defeat his spirit. The 45-year-old marathon runner and triathlete, who was not expected to live past childhood, continues to defy the odds with his latest physical test, Burke’s Cure Quest-Ozark Trail 2015. The 230-mile, 18-day hike along the Ozark Trail in September will raise money and awareness for the disease.
St. Louisan Wendy Sondov’s baking skills are making quite a few mouths happy. Garnering ‘Most Creative’ in the 2014 King Arthur Flour Cookie Decorating Contest for her festive edible snowmen, Sondov chose the Jewish Family & Children’s Service Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry to receive a $500 donation on her behalf. The cookies were originally created for her baking blog, The Monday Box (themondaybox.com), which shares care package recipes to encourage shipping ‘baked love.’ A tutorial on how to make the cookies can be found on her blog.
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is calling for submissions to its 2015 ASID Missouri East Design Excellence Awards, which honors three top design projects in 12 different categories. The entry period continues until Feb. 28, and winners will be announced in Town&Style’s June 3 issue. More information can be found online at asidmoe.com.
Saint Louis University earned the 2015 Community Engagement Classification, a prestigious award from the Carnegie Foundation, for its continued efforts to promote volunteerism and community engagement. Members of the SLU community provide more than 1 million service hours annually through programs like Campus Kitchen (hunger relief program); SLU Legal Clinics (free legal services); Jesuit Health Resource Center (free medical services); and Casa de Salud, (assistance with health
services for non-English speaking patients).
Dr. Samuel Achilefu, professor and chief of the optical radiology lab at Washington University School of Medicine, was honored with the St. Louis Award for his contributions to cancer treatment research. Achilefu, a native of Nigeria, developed high-tech glasses that help surgeons visualize cancer cells during surgery. He is the 87th recipient of the award, established in 1931 by leading philanthropist David Wohl. Pictured above: David Kemper and Dr. Samuel Achilefu. Photo: Bill St over
