Annual Courage Award Given to Cumberland Youth
From: The Valley Breeze
By ETHAN SHOREY, Valley Breeze Managing Editor
CUMBERLAND – Town resident Daunte Pean, 17, was honored by the Corey C. Griffin Foundation at the 12th annual Boston Winter Ball with the Courage Award for his bravery in battling and overcoming a tumor.
Pean is a member of Corey’s Kids, a program focused on improving the lives and opportunities for youth. Last month’s ball at the Fairmount Copley Plaza in Boston raised $1.6 million toward that goal, helping Boston-area children in need through healthcare and education programs.
A student at the Foxboro Regional Charter School, Pean said it was “unreal” to win the award, and “definitely satisfying” to receive a standing ovation from the crowd.
His mom, Lourdes Pean-Fevrier, said her son handled the situation much better than she did, despite her being a nurse, “turning it around for me” with his positive attitude and great bravery in helping her overcome her devastation.
“He’s a very strong kid,” she said. “You would have thought he knew more than I did.”
Pean said he was upset to learn of the tumor, but understood that there was nothing he could do in himself to change the circumstance except to grow and focus on his own response.
After the discovery two years ago, Pean, who loves playing volleyball, had to learn to adjust to a more sedentary lifestyle. He said it was good for him to learn that not everything is related to the physical. He said he’s “all good to go now,” both physically and mentally.
The Corey C. Griffin Foundation was launched by the Griffin family and friends as a vehicle to continue Corey’s great philanthropic works and loving spirit, with the mission to improve the quality of life for children in need through healthcare and education programs.