Ionia Community Awareness provides 'giant purple hug' to cancer fighters, survivors

IONIA, Mich. — The color purple has spread through the small town of Ionia, along with a wave of compassion for those fighting cancer.

Purple shirts are proudly on display at Wreckers, a store that creates merchandise representing the important work of Ionia Community Awareness (ICA).

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Diane Grummet began the nonprofit after losing her dad to lung cancer.

"My son was a senior on the football team, and I wanted the kids to give back somehow," Grummet explained. "I asked them if they would do purple because purple is a universal color for cancer ... it just took off from there."

What was supposed to be a single "purple" football game in 2010 grew into a "Purple Week" the very next year.

Courtesy: Ionia Community Awareness

It's now a fall tradition among every grade level and nearly every sport in Ionia.

"All the money that we raised stays right here in Ionia. And just, you know, to help those fighting or surviving or even those that had been taken," Grummet told FOX 17 News. "When I say, you know, 'It's one town, one fight,' it truly is, because ... the whole town comes out and helps."

Courtesy: Ionia Community Awareness

Grummet said nearly $250,000 dollars have been raised so far to help more than 140 families.

ICA assists with bills, meals and gas cards along with hope and support.

Lawrence Sharp found ICA and Grummet after being diagnosed with stage three lung cancer in 2019.

"They've helped me through this whole thing. The phone calls, the texts," he said. "If it hadn't been for them, I don't know what I would have done. ... It's been rough."

Kari Bowerman is now in remission and grateful for the support she received from ICA.

"It means more than I can explain," she said. "To have even that little bit of extra help, it means the world. I mean, it's gas to get to your appointments. It's extra food to put on your table. So, it's huge."

Grummet said people have described the work they do as a "giant purple community hug."

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"We get thank-you notes; we get lots of hugs and tears," she said. "They call us the 'purple people,' which is a high compliment."

This year's Purple Week is slated for Sept. 9–15.

Grummet is proud to see how ICA has grown and impacted so many families in their toughest times.

"I don't even know if there's a word to describe the feeling of giving back," she said. "It just feels good to know that you might have made somebody's life a little easier. You know, you might have helped put a smile on that person's face or help them over a financial barrier. ... It's just very humbling."

To learn more about Ionia Community Awareness, visit their Facebook page.

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As the FOX 17 and Lake Michigan Credit Union Pay it Forward Person of the Month, Grummet receives a $550 prize.

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Meet Bill Komejan, our June 2023 Pay it Forward Person of the Month.

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