As Phil Janowiak ‘15 looked out from the stage in Burlington, Wisc., on March 7, a feeling of calmness came over him, a calmness that could only proceed a powerful speech. In front of a group of over 200 Snowball participants, Janowiak spoke of the experience he went through of losing both of his parents over the course of two years, highlighting the message of never taking life for granted.

“Honestly, I only read over the speech a couple times beforehand,” Janowiak said. “I just went up there, talked from the heart, told my story and it felt good.”

This was the fifth Snowball Janowiak had attended and also the first time he had spoken about his story in front of an audience.

“When we decided to have him speak, we never thought he’d be one of the best speakers we’ve ever had,” Snowball Staff Director Brittany Grosser-Basile ‘15 said. “He was so well spoken and honestly, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.”

Other than Snowball, Janowiak and his older brother Matt have been showered with support from both the LT and Fenwick communities (where Matt attended high school). After the passing of the brothers’ father, lifelong friend Dante Stefanini ‘15 and his family immediately took in the Janowiak brothers, allowing Phil to finish his senior year at LT. Additionally, the rest of the community has also been a lending hand for the brothers with simple emotional support to a variety of fundraisers to pay for the brothers’ college expenses.

One fundraiser, in particular, called The Curveball Event, was held by the One For The Kids organization at the Hyatt Lodge on Feb. 28. The sold-out event took months of preparation and marketing, which was ultimately done by the volunteerism of current LT students and the friends and family of the Janowiak brothers.

“It was really an honor to be picked,” Janowiak said. “The event was a ton of fun and I really felt the love while I was there.”

The night of the fundraiser kicked off with a performance from the LT Madrigals and included a silent auction, live music and numerous amounts of generous donations from those present. As of now, Janowiak plans to study political science at the University of Missouri this upcoming fall, while his brother looks to finish his last two years at St. Louis University.