0018-2504
JANUARY 22, 2025 • Vol. 23, No. 2
Southfield and Farmington Hills schedule events in recognition of MLK
In 2023, Chuck Schotten, pictured with his wife, Susan, launched the Michigan Cancer Support Network. The nonprofit provides rides to and from medical appointments for cancer patients, along with wigs and counseling services, all at no charge.
BY KATHRYN PENTIUK kpentiuk@candgnews.com
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
FILLING A VOID
FARMINGTONBASED NONPROFIT OFFERS RIDES AND MORE FOR CANCER PATIENTS BY MARK VEST
According to Schotten, he wasn’t sure if he was going to live or die. He said that he had three surgeries and went through about 25 chemotherapy sessions over the course of four months. Despite those challenges, good news was on its way.
mvest@candgnews.com
FARMINGTON/LIVONIA — After being diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2021, Livonia resident Chuck Schotten said that he and his wife, Susan, “went through a ridiculously hard time in our lives.”
See CANCER on page 9A
S O U T H F I E L D / FA R M INGTON HILLS — On Jan. 20, after press time, marchers were set to brave the cold to walk one mile from Hope United Methodist Church, 26275 Northwestern Highway, to the Southfield Pavilion, 26000 Evergreen Road, for the 40th annual “Peace Walk” in Southfield, honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. The walk was scheduled to be followed by a program, with remarks from Fumi Johns Stewart of May Peace Prevail On Earth International, who was slated to bring 130 flags for marchers to carry and place in the Southfield Pavillion. Guests were also set to celebrate MLK’s legacy with the annual Taste Fest, featuring samples from local businesses in the area. The MLK Task Force also held the MLK Youth Service Awards on Jan. 14 to honor youth for their community service, and was set to hold a food giveaway, in collaboration with Forgotten
Harvest, a nonprofit that assists families facing food insecurity, on Jan. 17. Every year since 1986, on the third Monday of January, the city of Southfield has attracted crowds to honor King’s legacy with the annual walk for peace. The tradition, which was started by the “mother of Southfield,” Barbara Talley, began on Jan. 20, 1986. Talley also founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “commemorating the holiday symbolizing brotherhood among all men, reminding us of the ongoing struggle to keep the dream alive for human rights in our community, and for peace throughout the world.” Talley was the first African American elected to the Southfield City Council and served from 1983 until 1989. The Peace Walk was born out of Talley’s desire to hold an event to honor MLK’s legacy in Southfield, after being encouraged by a state official. See MLK on page 12A
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