Janowiak Funeral Home

To lose both parents in just 14 months would seem overwhelming for two brothers from Indian Head Park.But happy memories and the caring support of family and friends are helping Phil Janowiak, 17, and his brother, Matt, 19, move forward.The teens lost their mom, Julie, to kidney disease in April 2013 after an 18-month struggle. She was just 47.While the family was still reeling from that loss, the boys' father, Michael, suffered a stroke with complications that proved fatal in August. He was just 50."I try to think about them every day, happy things," said Phil Janowiak, a senior at Lyons Township High School. "Being able to think about them in a positive way without being sad or sorry really helps me. It makes me feel better."It also has been helpful to have a place to live less than three blocks from the family's former home."I'm staying with one of our best friends, the Stefanini family," Phil Janowiak said. "Dante and I have been friends since preschool. Our brothers, Matt and Rocco, have been best friends, and our moms were best friends."Being a part of LT's football team with Dante Stefanini also has meant a lot, Phil Janowiak said."Football kept me really busy right after the loss of my dad," he said. "He died on a Thursday, and I was at practice on a Saturday. It helped."Now that the season is over, Phil Janowiak said he's found time to take part in Operation Showball, a peer leadership program at the high school."I have a little bit of wisdom on the suffering department," he said. "Everybody has problems. Helping others is the best way to help one's self."Matt Janowiak, a 2013 Fenwick High School graduate and now a sophomore at St. Louis University, said friends and family have made all the difference for him."There was just an outpouring of cards and phone calls and everything," he said. "I have really great friends who have been there and my family has really stepped up and been great. That's what helps the most and has gotten us through."Immersing himself in sch... (Chicago Tribune)

Chamber members heard from representatives of each program that received an E3 award, which stands for Exemplary Educational Endeavors. The awards were sponsored by Janowiak Funeral Home and the chamber, and each program receives $1,000.“As business and community leaders in the Washtenaw County area, it is so important for all of you to do what you can to recognize and support these programs and teachers and show appreciation for the incredible work that they do to educate our youth and prepare them for the world ahead,” said Dave Norton, branch manager for the Bank of Ann Arbor and chair of the E3 Awards committee. “After all, some day these students will be sitting right there in your seats doing your job and running your companies.”Wednesday’s event also recognized the Washtenaw County Teacher of the Year and runners-up, which is a new award series this year; and the “business education honor roll,” which businesses join by taking various steps to support K-12 schools.Scroll down to learn more about the Washtenaw County schools that received E3 awards this year.Bishop Elementary School students talk about Project Green at the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber of Commerce E3 awards on May 17, 2017. (MLive.com)