Morghan Lemmenes / Winonan

Friendly fire was exchanged on campus Wednesday, Oct. 5. This fire came in the form of whipped cream, and it was all for an important cause.

People lined up to pie their professor in the face for the Warriors for the Kids event to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Warriors for the Kids is a club at Winona State University that hosts different fundraisers throughout the year for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals including the Dance Marathon, which will take place later this year.

Ethan Krase, chair of the English department, was one of nine professors to get a pie in the face to help raise money for an organization that helped his family through so much.

In 2013, Krase’s daughter, Willa, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Weeks before being diagnosed, her parents thought she was going through a growth spurt and having the teenager attitude early. After a while, they realized something was wrong and took her to their pediatrician.

They found out she had blood sugar levels more than twice the normal level.

The Krase family was sent to the Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wis. to a pediatric endocrinology team, where Willa Krase was hospitalized for four days.

After she got out of the hospital, she insisted on telling her class at school everything she knew about diabetes.

Willa Krase is now 12 years old and manages her diabetes almost fully on her own.

For three years, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals provided support so Willa Krase could attend a diabetes camp. She learned new self-care skills and how to do things like other kids without being too distracted by diabetes.

According to its website, the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals was founded in 1983 to raise funds and awareness to different hospitals that provide treatments to children around the U.S. and Canada.

Throughout the years, Children’s Miracle Network has put on many different fundraisers, starting with a Telethon in Utah, which is still one of their main fundraisers today.

One year after Children’s Miracle Network was founded, Dairy Queen became a partner with them. This introduced Miracle Treat Day, a day where a dollar or more of each product sold goes to help save and improve children’s lives. This day has become a favorite tradition for Children’s Miracle Network supporters.

Dairy Queen is not the only company to help raise money. In 1987, Walmart and Sam’s Club began fundraising.

That same year, the organization saw all of their effort being paid off. Johns Hopkins Children’s Center used funds from the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for the equipment used to separate conjoined twins, making medical history.

Following their major medical breakthrough, the Children’s Miracle Network launched the annual Dance Marathon at Indiana University in 1991. The program eventually became a nationwide movement among more than 250 colleges and high schools, including Winona State.

To help raise more awareness, in 1996 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals created “The Champions Program.” Selecting children based on their courage and perseverance to act as ambassadors.

Last summer, Willa Krase was asked if she would be one of the Children’s Miracle Network Heroes. She happily accepted.

For one year, she will be one of the faces featured on posters, billboards, in parades and voiced on the radio. Willa Krase is also invited to speak to groups and share her story with others.

“I am proud of her,” professor Krase said. “She’s the sort of kid who does all of this with humble generosity.”

In the Gundersen Health System newspaper, the Krase family said, “Having CMN Hospitals reach out with help is very comforting and uplifting.”

Though students were motivated to donate for the opportunity to pie their professors in the face, professors from the English department lined up to pie their fellow professors in the face.

“When the Warriors for the Kids group asked me to participate, my initial thought was that it wasn’t for me. However, Willa was there when they asked me, and her excitement at the idea of me getting pied made it pretty much impossible to say no,” Krase said.

Willa Krase, her mom and her sister came to witness the event, and they even got a chance to throw a pie in professor Krase’s face.

However, some people did not just donate to throw a pie. Professors have been stopping by Krase’s office and donating money to the cause.

All the proceeds that are raised for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals stay locally to help out families like the Krases.

-By Morghan Lemmenes