Amy Stevens of Spruce (daughter of Barbara (Kessler) and the late Burt Bowerman) has been named recipient of Michigan’s Muscular Dystrophy Association’s 2005 Personal Achievement Award.
Barbara grew up in Oxford and Burt lived in Lake Orion at one time.
Stevens, 40, was selected for the honor because of her community involvement and advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities.
The honor is part of MDA’s annual national award program recognizing the personal and professional accomplishments and community service of people with any of the neuromuscular diseases in MDA’s program.
Stevens is self-employed as an Independent Mary Kay Beauty consultant, and does bookkeeping from her home.
She has taken steps to try to make buildings in her community accessible to everyone and strives to create awareness on behalf of people with disabilities.
Stevens is an excellent public speaker. Some of the groups that she has addressed include the National Association of Letter Carriers at the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island, the Michigan State Firefighters at their annual convention as well as her participation on the annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. She inspires most everyone she meets.
She is married to Marshall Stevens and they live in a home that she designed while in high school, along with their Golden Retriever, Abby Jo.
‘The impressive achievements of Amy Stevens are a fine example of the vital contributions being made by people with neuromuscular diseases to communities across the country,? MDA President and CEO Robert Ross said. ‘We’re proud to honor her as Michigan’s MDA Personal Achievement Award recipient for 2005.?
Stevens is very involved with many aspects of MDA, and can be counted on to volunteer and assist with any task to help MDA. She often comes up with fundraising ideas and participates in the events or speaks on behalf of the patients and the association.
She came up with the concept of an annual billiards tournament, ‘Cue for a Cure,? that has become very popular and continued to grow each year into a very successful fundraising event for MDA.
At age 12, Stevens received a diagnosis of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, a progressive disease that causes weakness and wasting initially affecting shoulder and pelvic girdle muscles. She uses a power scooter for mobility and requires assistance with many activities of daily living.
Stevens was chosen for the achievement award by MDA’s North Central Michigan Chapter and was then named Michigan’s award recipient.
One of the state award recipients will be selected to receive MDA’s 2006 National Personal Achievement Award. The national honoree will be announced on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-5.
MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education.
MDA maintains clinics for area adults and children affected by neuromuscular diseases at Michigan State University Clinical Center in East Lansing, and MidMichigan Regional Medical Center in Midland.
The association’s programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.