2/13/14 - The Brighton community is coming together to throw a big party for a man with a positive spirit and love of high school sports. Brighton's greatest fan "Uncle Zub" has been struggling in his battle with Leukemia and exhausted conventional treatments. The ardent fan has been following and supporting the Brighton Boys Hockey and Girls Soccer teams for the last 20 years but also knows pretty much everything going on in high school hockey across the region and the state. The bachelorâs real name is Jim Niemi but no one would know ever know that. He comes from a large family and has dozens of nieces and nephews typically found in tow with him at games. The Brighton teams have organized a big community party and fundraiser entitled âSkate for Zub â No One Fights Aloneâ. Parent Lisa Bosio has a son on the hockey team and tells WHMI Zub is a very humble man who probably doesnât like all of the attention but he really has been an important part of their family environment and success as two-time state champs. She says itâs meant to be a time to celebrate, share memories and provide him with some financial support because anyone who has battled a chronic illness knows that bills and expenses can pile up quickly. Bosio says theyâve received huge support from students, athletes, alumni, coaches, and others from out of state and you can tell he means the world to a lot of people. She says the fundraiser allows everyone to spend some quality time with Zub while heâs still feeling good and let him know how much he means to everyone. Some hockey players in graphic design class are also going the extra mile and have created orange stickers to wear on their helmets that say âSkate for Zub â No One Fights Aloneâ. The logo will also be on t-shirts and orange wristbands, the color representing Leukemia, and will be sold at all home games and events for the remainder of the season. Sundayâs event will run from 1 to 3pm at the Kensington Valley Ice House on Grand River and features open skating, food, raffles and family activities with everything raised going directly to Zub. Details about fundraiser and an event flyer can be found through the link below. (JM)
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