Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Megan Easterday may have died a week ago, but her memory is alive and well.
On Friday, big and little people will pay tribute to the fallen victim of cancer.
Students, administrators and families from Harrison Elementary in Warsaw will pay tribute to the girl when they travel to Fort Wayne for a Fury basketball game at Memorial Coliseum.
The team has declared Friday Megan Easterday Night, and teammates are dedicating the rest of the season to her and other children who are suffering from cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Megan was buried last weekend after more than 1,200 people paid their condolences at First United Methodist Church in Warsaw Friday.
A handful of celebrities, including former Fury standout Damon Bailey, befriended Megan during her battle.
Bailey played in his final Fury game Saturday - the day Megan was buried - before signing a lucrative contract with a team in France.
Megan's connection with the Fury was bridged at Lutheran Hospital pediatric unit, where Bill McCartle, a friend of Fury president and co-owner Jay Leonard, learned of Megan's interest in the Bailey and the team.
Soon afterward, Bailey and Leonard met with Megan for 90 minutes. The team provided passes to games and the three met on several occasions as the friendship grew.
It was Megan's inspiration that led the Fury and Sears to sponsor a Christmas party for 25 cancer-stricken children, Leonard said.
Leonard said he and his wife are heavily involved in supporting programs for seriously ill children. He's now a board member for Camp What You Want To Do, a camp for children with cancer.
"It's something I feel very strong about," Leonard said. "Megan's touched my life as deep as anyone I've ever met. Her strength, her hope and her fight - for everything she believes in - it makes me go home and hug my children and appreciate every day I have with them."
Friday's audience will observe a moment of silence for Megan and other young victims of cancer.
Team members will wear black patches on their jerseys for the remainder of the Continental Basketball Association season as a reminder of Megan.
It's the least we can do," Leonard said.
The 16-year-old died after a three-year battle with a fast-growing form of cancer. During that time, she spent much of her energy speaking on behalf of young cancer victims and evoking a positive image, despite the odds against her.
Meanwhile, Harrison Elementary last week reached its goal of collecting 1 million soda pop tabs in Easterday's honor. The pop tab container has more than 1,042,416 tabs.
Megan's sister, Lauren, who has suffered with her own diagnosis of cancer, is a student at Harrison.
The project is a way for children to comprehend the vastness of such a large number and also serves as a charity project for Indiana's Ronald McDonald House, an affordable place to stay for parents whose children are seriously ill and patients at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis.
The fund-raiser's motto was "1 million pull tabs = 1 million wishes for Megan."
The pull tabs will be presented to McDonald's officials during a ceremony Monday at the school.
