Aggielife Page 3 • Thursday, February 25, 1999 ish Cluii, smpo’vniij i Acad 130,: 3 for more- FRIDAY Irunners:'- un, meeliri Coliseum a; ■Is are i# '-5339 fofa ^&avicin<% the ni^ht Aggie 5 Up All Night marathon to benefit Children’s Miracle Network "W om, I have a headache!” This exclamation is typically a child’s cry for attention and maybe a chance to get a day off of school, but in the case of Grant Kennedy, his life would never be the same. Never worrying about severe health prob lems, Grant was a strong 13-year-old boy with dreams of one day playing at Olsen field. Grant stood five feet ten inches and 170 pounds and showed no signs of slowing down. Just a few days after experiencing minor discomfort, Grant and his family found them selves in the emergency room at St. Joeseph Hospital. Grant had his first seizure. He had three more seizures during the night. To protect his brain and control the seizures, doctors put him into a coma. Toxic shock, 351 tests, a high-frequency lung ventilator, dialysis, gall-bladder surgery and a tracheotomy later, Grant is now undergoing rehabil itation at Scott & White Hospital in Temple. Not exactly living the ideal childhood. Grant is keeping his hopes high and enjoying every minute with his family. Judy Kennedy, Grant’s mother, said she real ly appreciates all the support her son has been given. “We are so thankful. The Bryan/College Sta tion community has embraced us with open arms,” she said. The family said they are glad to come from a community of such great, friendly people. Their struggles have been hard, but with the help of prayer and friends, pain can always be replaced with hope. These stories can be viewed as hopeless, but with the help of support, charity and fundrais ing, many unfortunate childrens’ lives have been saved. The fourth annual Aggies Up All Night Dance Marathon is one of the fundraising activities helping children like Grant Kennedy. Sarah Elliot, event director, said she would like the marathon to develop into an annual event at Texas A&M. “We want to make Aggies Up All Night an Ag gie tradition,” Elliot said. “It is a long-term event, raising more funds and awareness than the year before. ” Elliot said the dance marathon is a 24-hour dancing party guaranteed to make your feet sore but fill your heart with joy. The event is student run with hours of prepa ration having gone into ensuring its success. Do nations are received as pledges from individuals in the community who sponsor dancers. The proceeds from Aggies Up All Night ben efit the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) of the Brazos Valley. Judy Kennedy said the CMN is a great orga nization that has always been there for her fam ily. “Since the first day Grant was placed in ICU here in Temple, Brad Peterson, the Brazos Valley CMN representative, has been with us,” she said. “They always remember special days and come to give him something.” Nationally, the CMN started 16 years ago as a charity for children’s hospitals. Locally, CMN started in April 1995. The CMN of the Brazos Valley’s mission is to support chil dren’s services by enhancing the quality of pe diatric-patient education and care. The CMN said 100 percent of all money do nated to the marathon will go toward the sup port of local, needy children. Chellette Austin, public relations director for the event, said she wants Aggies to come out and use their thoughtful and competitive spirits to help raise money. “Penn State started this event years ago and has continued to raise millions of dollars,” Austin said. “I know the Aggies could top that and show people what being an Aggie is all about.” Austin said donations are always being taken graciously, but a great way to donate is to give a little time and money to Aggies Up All Night. Austin said she knows Aggies love to dance and cannot wait to see them at the marathon. “The average Aggie pays money to a profit or ganization to dance for a few hours,” Austin said. “Why not give a little to the children and dance an entire day!” Sixth Annual Film Festival February 24-28, 1999 Version 6.0 Upgrade Your Independence hursday, Feb. 25 Naturally Native 7:00 p.m. Cinemark Hollywood 16 'aturally Native follows the lives, loves, pain, joy and 'elationships of three sisters of American Indian ancestry as hey attempt to start their own business. Naturally Native ilso interweaves a subtle, but strong wake-up call regarding he treatment of Native people in corporate America; and tlso provides some insight into the tribal infrastructure and jaming issues. Bl SAUIE rm# 6 IP Bea to: I,#' « u enes.ft lt,r Cas 35 ’ .I iifl' onhhie ... The Intervention 9:30 p.m. Cinemark Hollywood 16 Matt Hirsch is a writer who’s lost faith in the power of writing. Lately, he’s had suicidal inklings. They’re not pite tendencies yet, but with a little practice he thinks he :an get them up there. Nothing’s particularly wrong with tis life, but then nothing’s particularly right, either. Matt relieves he’s learned what life has to offer and would just as soon kill himself, if only he had a gun. Unfortunately, he ioesn’t feel strongly enough to take action - it’s passion lhat’ll kill you every time. Night of Shorts Friday, Feb. 26 7:00 p.m. Rudder Auditorium We will show a series of short Independent films. Check our website for more information. Dancer, TX Pop. 81 9:30 p.m. Rudder Auditorium Welcome to Dancer, Texas, population 81, a sleepy West Texas town smack in the middle of Brewster County, right off Highway 91. A town where the nearest shopping mall is a general store that stocks vegetables and auto fan belts side by side; where the tastiest cuisine can be traced to Flora’s Cafe, a greasy spoon with four tables; and where the showcase of higher learning is a five-room schoolhouse with 41 students and a high school graduating class of five - the largest in 20 years. A town where four Dancer graduates-to-be — Keller, Terrell Lee, Squirrel and John — contemplate their futures and wonder if the pact they made at the age of 11 to leave this tiny dustbowl following their impending graduation will survive the test of time. The moment of truth is just days away, and what seemed like a concrete decision seven years ago is now fraught with complications. The clock is ticking, and as all 77 remaining townspeople watch from the sidelines, offer advice, and place bets, these four very different boys with unique backgrounds struggle with the biggest decision of their lives — whether to stay or leave home. Your Friends and Neighbors Midnight Rudder Auditorium From writer/director Neil LaBute, whose first film In the Company of Men was the most controversial film of the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, comes a new film... and this time, it’s personal. LaBute moves from theboardroom to the bedroom for this incendiary cocktail of modem mores set in suburbia. The intimacy between husbands and wives, between friends and neighbors, is explored... and exploded. Saturday, Feb. 27 The Dry Season 7:00 p.m. Rudder Theater Spencer Keating, a twenty-four-year-old florist, hasn’t been with a woman for 350 days. If approaching that ego-smashing year mark isn’t bad enough, he has to deal with his overbearing, oversexed best friend, a business deal headed down the getter, and the all-too familiar problems of living the single life. This straight-ahead comedy is set in beautiful Rockland County, New York; 20 miles north of New York City and will strike a chord with anyone who has experienced their own “dry season.” Origin of the Species 9:30 p.m. Rudder Theater Six friends play the game of life. s