Newspaper, Magazine & Newsletter Articles & More
In the Media
Msgr. Russ Kohler Children's Cancer Endowment Fund Grant Program
Publication: Detroit Free Press
Date: January 12, 2020
Title: How Andre Drummond and Pistons did a great thing on magical night By Jeff Seidel
Detroit Pistons player Andre Drummond holds hand with Ava Jabczenski on stage during the Runway of Hopes and Dreams at the Detroit Pistons Performance Center in Detroit, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. (Photo: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
Andre Drummond, the Detroit Pistons center, was talking to Ava Jabczenski, 10, from Allen Park, who has a rare brain cancer. Drummond was trying to choreograph their walk down the runway.“Do you have a favorite move?” Drummond asked. Drummond was smiling and acting silly, mimicking a fashion model walking down a runway, swaying his hips and Ava smiled. “Let’s do something fun!” Drummond said.
Reggie Jackson, the Pistons guard, was talking to Darin Clayborn, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. They were practicing a handshake that they planned to do at the end of the runway. Jackson quickly turned it into a competition. He was going to come up with the most entertaining moment on the runway, and he started talking trash. “You all are gonna be second place!”
Ava Jabczenski received a grant from the Msgr. Russ Kohler Children's Cancer Endowment Fund.
Read more about Ava and other grant recipients, Meet Our Grant Recipients
Msgr. Russ Kohler
Publication: Cabrini Connector
Date: April 20, 2016
Title: Our Mentor, Our Leader, Our Friend, Monsignor Kohler has Passed
Monsignor Russel E. Kohler passed away on March 25th (2016), he was 72 years old. Born in Monroe, Michigan he graduated from Monroe Catholic Central High School in 1961. He entered his seminary studies at Our Lady of the Lake Seminary, Syracuse, Indiana and then transferred to Sacred Heart Seminary College, Detroit. He then enrolled in St. John’s Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan for graduate studies and took additional courses at the University of Detroit. …
Publication: The Michigan Catholic
Date: October 8, 2010
Title: A House of Hope
Detroit – It was an unexpected encounter with some young cancer patients back in 1974 that got Fr. Russ Kohler thinking about the need for the hospitality ministry that now includes an old mansion on midtown Detroit, a transportation service and facilities out-state. …
Publication: Detroit Free Press
Date: February 12, 1994
Title: A testament to survival wrapped in Victorian trim
There are few people who live there who remember the neighborhood around Second and Alexandrine other than the way it is now. No lingering memories of another time. A time when these streets were lined with grand houses with slate roofs and fancy fretwork and turrets and cupolas. It’s a neighborhood where little time is spent reflecting on its lost grandeur. It’s a place where getting through the day is the priority. A place for survivors. …
Publication: Detroit Free Press
Date: January 10, 1993
Title: Cass Corridor Robin Hood
The Rev. Russ Kohler can talk about the bottomless silence of a 19-year-old boy with cancer who learns there is nothing more his doctors can do. He can go on and on about the joy of a teenager with brain cancer who, at 15, has survived nearly as many surgeries, and who, like a seasoned prize fighter, keeps getting up to take more punches. …
Publication: The Michigan Catholic
Date: January 4, 1985
Title: Hospitality House is big help to ailing
Detroit — Hugging the corner of Cass and Alexandrine in the city’s Cass Corridor, the Pope John XXIII Hospitality House may not be in the most well-to-do neighborhood. But to many cancer outpatients who undergo treatment at nearby Detroit Medical Center, the hospitality house is worth its weight in gold. …
Publication: The Detroit News
Date: February 18, 1981
Title: Pope John House: A port in a storm for visiting patients
The Rev. Russel Kohler of Detroit shakes his thick, graying head of hair and affectionately pats his Irish setter, Dandy, as he talks about how he wants to make it easier for patients to get to a clinic or hospital – the modern-day “pool of healing water.” …
Historic Documents
DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan Letter
Date: December 27, 2006
A letter of gratitude to Msgr. Russ Kohler for hosting a Christmas party for cancer patients and their families. …
DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan Letter
Date: November 10, 1994
Congratulatory letter to Msgr. Russ Kohler for the 15 years of service the Pope John XXIII Hospitality House provided to cancer patients and their families. …
Progress Notes
Date: Unknown
A collection of progress notes from three different families who were blessed to know Msgr. Russ Kohler and his ministries through the Pope John XXIII Hospitality House and St. Patrick’s Retreat in Irish Hills, Michigan. …
