BY DANI TIETZ
dani@sjodaily.com
Anyone who met Murelle Plotner will not forget her.
“She was very upfront, very vocal, outgoing and didn’t hold back,” Mary Derenne said.
Plotner’s spunk is what has stuck with Derenne for over a decade.
While Derenne was an employee at St. Joseph Middle School, word came that Plotner would be undergoing treatments for myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare blood cancer.
Although Plotner was in-and-out of school for a while, Derenne remembers that she was still adamant about participating in cross-country.
Knowing that the Plotner family would have mounting expenses as they fought alongside their daughter, Derenne suggested that she would host a fundraiser.
“(Murelle) came back to school and said instead of doing it for us, I’d like for you to do it for the hospital,” Derenne remembers.
“Who does that at that age?”
Honoring Murelle’s wishes, Derenne began to plan a Halloween event with bounce houses and a “Jail and Bail,” among other opportunities to raise money for the Children’s Hospital. The annual October event has raised between $3,000 to $5,000 each year.
Now, more than a decade later, the event, “A Haunted Halloween,” to honor Plotner will become a fundraiser in remembrance of the young woman who could “brighten anyone’s day.”
At the age of 19, Murelle Plotner passed away on Dec. 8, 2018.
Derenne said that funds raised at the annual event will now go towards the Murelle Plotner Scholarship Fund to gift a St. Joseph-Ogden graduate who plans to go into the medical field, with a scholarship.
When Derenne approached Murelle’s mom, Chantelle, she said, “That is a perfect way to remember her.”
Derenne said that as the the four-member committee, which includes herself, Chantelle Plotner, Micki Wessley and Mike Peters, prepared for the Oct. 26 fundraiser, it was a “very emotional” experience.
But, the group hopes that as the community pauses to remember Murelle, they will also have fun.
“A Haunted Halloween” will run from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. in Downtown St. Joseph on Oct. 26. With the purchase of a $5 wristband, kids can enjoy hours on inflatables. The St. Joseph-Ogden FFA will also host a bake sale and Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges will be locked in the “Jail and Bail.”
Derenne said once Fruling-Voges raises a set amount, she will be able to leave the confines of the “prison” cell.
Fundraising efforts have already started.
“People have just handed me money and told me to put it towards the benefit,” Derenne said.
An account will be established at Busey Bank for the Murelle Plotner Scholarship Fund. Derenne said that based on what is raised the first year, the planning committee will decide how much will go towards the scholarship and how much should be set aside for future scholarships.
“We don’t want to do this every year and drain people of giving,” she said.
But year-after-year, Derenne enjoys watching the community give back. Recently, she has worked with local businesses on donating silent auction items.
“I don’t even know how many things we have right now,” she said. “It’s blowing my mind how much people give. Every year we do this, it blows me away.”
Knowing that everyone will not jump in the bounce houses or bid on a silent auction item, the group also plans to have the Nightcaps perform for those who just want to sit back and enjoy a show.
Opportunities to set aside a few dollars here and there will also be available throughout the duration of the event.
Derenne said that after all these years of doing this event, at the end of the night, she is floored by the community’s generosity.
“It’s pretty great,” she said.
