National Volunteer Week: Brussels helped Fritz, now he's returning the favour

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

As Canada marks National Volunteer Week once again, through the end of April into the beginning of May, The Citizen has chosen to highlight the work of one of the community’s youngest volunteers: Dan Fritz, who has made his mark with the Brussels Optimist Club, Blyth Brussels Minor Hockey, and as a member of the team that brought home the renovation and expansion of the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre.

 

Fritz has been working for his community for years, joining the Brussels Optimist Club while still a teenager. Even earlier than that, he helped get the ball rolling that would eventually build up enough momentum and lead to the renovation and expansion of the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre getting the green light. 

 

He joined the Optimist Club in 2019, but before then, he and Patricia Beuermann spearheaded a petition that, while unsuccessful then, would start a conversation with implications far exceeding the intention of the petition at the time. He and Beuermann went door-to-door in Brussels, gathering signatures asking Huron East Council to consider taking the funds from the sale of the former Brussels Public School and putting them towards refreshing the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre. That served as a conversation starter for the renovations that would, many years later, go forward at the village’s beloved arena and community centre.

 

The pair gathered signatures and presented to Huron East Council and that initial proposal led to the formation of two committees - and a number of subcommittees - that would eventually take on the renovation and expansion of the centre, over-fundraise for its ever-growing goal and attract millions in investment not just from the centre’s home community, but from the federal, provincial and municipal tiers of government.

 

When the project was officially given the go-ahead, Fritz took on a sector chair position and was instrumental in the fundraising for the centre. This was a crucial position, as the amount to be raised by the community was increased substantially over the course of the campaign due to cost overages and yet, the committee still raised nearly $2.5 million, which was well over the final community fundraising goal of $2 million for the Inspiring our Future campaign, as it came to be known.

 

During that same time period, Fritz became a member of the Brussels Optimist Club. He joined in the fall of 2019 and says he was a typical new member, staying rather quiet, happy to listen to others and take direction on how he could help the club. However, not long after he joined, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and raising money for the community through the club suddenly became rather difficult. Meetings were a challenge and holding events was often not allowed by the public health guidelines of the day or not responsible as the virus continued to circulate. 

 

At that time, Fritz stepped up to become the club’s secretary under President Shawn Daw, expanding his scope to take in the treasurer’s role as well. He has been the club’s secretary/treasurer ever since.

 

He has since been a very active member of the club, taking part in its various fundraisers over the years, such as the spring dinner and auction, catering meals and lending a hand wherever the club needs one. The spring dinner and auction, specifically, is one of the club’s biggest fundraisers, historically raising tens of thousands of dollars for the year’s given cause through ticket sales, private donations and the silent and live auctions. This year’s recipient was the Ronald McDonald House and while all the financial work has yet to be done by the Optimists, the auction gross from earlier this month was just under $45,000.

 

In past years, the dinner and auction has benefitted the Make-A-Wish Foundation, at least twice, as well as the battle to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis, both causes that are near and dear to Fritz’s heart and which very much served as a gateway to volunteerism for him in Brussels and have helped shape the kind of volunteer, community member and man that he is today.
When Fritz was just eight years old, back in 2008, he was a young man battling Cystic Fibrosis. Now a man in his twenties living with Cystic Fibrosis, he fondly thinks back to the support he received from the members of the community, specifically the Optimists, and knew he wanted to, when he was able, give back to the community that had given so much to him and perhaps help change the life of a young man in need, not so dissimilar from him all those years ago.

 

In 2008, an eight-year-old Fritz was the guest speaker at the spring dinner and auction. He had just recently returned from a Make-A-Wish Foundation trip to Walt Disney World. That night, in addition to speaking to those assembled, Fritz was able to meet Robert Kays, the president of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and his wife, who were there that night. 

 

The young Fritz and the Kays family were on the front of the April 10, 2008 issue of The Citizen, alongside a story about Fritz’s trip. In it, Fritz spoke about the limousine trip from Huron County to Detroit, which could have been its own Make-A-Wish experience, the ice cream at Disney World (the best he’d ever had) and his experience with the “Star Fairy”, which saw him “put his name on a special star and place it on a special spot on the ceiling. My star is there to take care of me and protect me and keep me from getting sick,” Fritz told The Citizen. He also spoke about being treated like royalty during the trip but, most importantly, that, while he had to undergo treatment and take his pills while he was there, no one asked questions about sickness or doctors. “We just got to have fun.”

 

That night, in his speech, he also thanked the Optimist Club, which had been, and continues to be, a big supporter of the foundation. 

 

“On behalf of the children who are still dreaming of their special wish, thank you all for taking part in making their dreams come true,” he told everyone there that night. Seventeen years later, at that very same Optimist Club’s spring dinner and auction, he received the Citizen of the Year Award for volunteerism, presented by The Citizen, which was met with a standing ovation from those in attendance.

 

Speaking with The Citizen now, Fritz is candid about wanting to give back, make his mark and improve his community for the kids of today and in days to come.

 

Fritz says that, while Cystic Fibrosis is still a part of his everyday life, he is likely healthier than he has ever been. However, he is realistic about having what he calls a “life-limiting” condition and that he has to make the best of the time he has, never knowing what is around the corner in terms of his lung function and overall health. So, while he’s able to physically help the Optimist Club, the Inspiring Our Future campaign and Blyth Brussels Minor Hockey, he wants to do it, because that may not always be the case.
This was also his motivation behind being so involved in local hockey - he has been a trainer for a number of years and, of course, his role in the renovation and expansion of the building - he had to end his hockey career in his mid-teens because his lungs just weren’t giving him what he needed, so he wanted to make sure that other children got to have the experience he couldn’t.

 

He says he beams with pride knowing that local youth and his nephews and nieces will enjoy these amenities for years to come, but acknowledges that it’s unlikely that he will have children who will do the same, as the vast majority of men with Cystic Fibrosis are unable to have children of their own. Being able to show those future nephews and nieces his name on committee and donor walls and knowing he had a hand in improving their lives, he said, is something that makes him very proud.