Caitlin Malin doesn’t brag about her feat, but this quiet 15-year-old teenager from Westby has the right to be proud of her recent accomplishment, winning a gold placement in the FCCLA (Family Career Community Leaders of America) competition held in Orlando, Florida in July.

Malin, an incoming sophomore at Westby Area High School loves working with children and having a younger brother, Sam, who was born with Down Syndrome and is currently battling leukemia which makes her desire to make a difference in someone’s life even stronger.

In November 2007, Malin began working with high school family consumer educator Jennie (Paulson) Marx, during her freshman year, on a class project focusing on children. For the project Malin raised money to purchase materials to make tied fleece blankets for children at the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, a place which became a second home to her family for months when her brother was first diagnosed with leukemia and physicians weren’t sure if Sam could beat the odds and go into remission.

Malin raised $250, enough to make 10 blankets, and with the help of her friend, Katie Sebion, the girls began the task of designing, cutting and tying the blankets. The project took an added turn when her brother wanted in on the action and with Malin’s guidance learned to tie the ends and help her with the project.

After working with Sam, Malin decided to take the project to the next level and design a unique blanket with the assistance of the special needs students at Westby Middle School. Together Malin and seven students helped her exceed her initial goal of 10 blankets for the Ronald McDonald House adding the11th blanket made from the loving hands of the special needs class. Malin added one more step to her project collecting aluminum pop can tabs throughout the year and donating 175 pounds of them to the Ronald McDonald House in March of 2008.

With the project completed Malin was ready to prepare for the regional competition in February of 2008. She wrote a speech and designed a tri-fold board outlay of her project for the judges. Earning gold at regionals, Malin was headed for state and on April 20, 2008 she scored a remarkable 97 out of 100 points and earned a Gold Star from the judges and advanced to the national competition where Malin would represent the state of Wisconsin in the Focus on Children category for the FCCLA.

The trip to Florida wouldn’t come without work and revisions to her presentation. With a tri-fold board constructed of wood, Malin knew she wouldn’t be able to send her heavy, oversized display on the airplane. So she got creative and made two large pop tab designs out of Styrofoam and wrapped them in foil. Then she took her project pictures and hooked them to the foil tabs. When the project was laid out at nationals it met the size requirements, but the new design allowed Malin to fit it in her suitcase and not exceed airplane weight regulations.

Surviving one hurdle Malin was ready to move on to the most difficult task of all, memorizing her speech.

“At regional I could read off paper, at state I could use index cards, but at nationals I had to memorize my entire 10-minute speech,” Malin said.

Malin was more than nervous; she was petrified and found herself practicing her speech day and night for weeks. Once she was in Florida her nervousness didn’t subside, in fact the day she visited the Kennedy Space Center she found herself in the bathroom and anywhere she could rehearsing for her July 14 presentation.

Her devotion to the project and her dedication to the presentation paid off when Malin scored 296 out of 300 possible points and was awarded a gold medal.

“I couldn’t believe it when I was done. I never stumbled and my nerves subsided. I guess I was prepared,” Malin said.

While most kids don’t have a clue what direction life’s path will take them after graduation, Malin is living proof there are exceptions to the rule. She feels destined to become a Child Life Specialist and work with children, like her brother who may never live to see what society perceives as a normal life, but have the inept ability to show compassion through hugs and hold more love in their hearts, than most people could ever imagine receiving in a lifetime.

When Malin looks at her brother she sees a miracle and she prays that when other people look at Sam they see love.

“Special needs children can’t always tell us what they feel, but they can show us life lessons without words. Sam shows his love through hugs and his continued survival gives us all hope for others,” Malin said.

For Malin her family is her inspiration and she truly believes that her brother Sam is a big part of where life’s paths will take her in the future.