By Taylor J. Hale
Staff Writer

STEVENS POINT – One man’s unwavering resilience has united the community. Ben Kollock, a life-long Stevens Point native, was diagnosed with cancer for the second time in the winter of 2018, just fours years after his original battles with the disease.

After receiving radiation treatments and a stem cell transplant at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, Kollock is now on the path to recovery.

A local shop in downtown Stevens Point decided to reach out and help the Kollock family on their road to rehabilitation. Real Deals On Home Decor donated a portion of their weekly proceeds to the family and hosted a Point of Discovery School (PODS) student bake sale on May 31, raising roughly $807.

“This is his second round with cancer,” said Michelle Venzke, co-owner of Real Deals. “Whenever you hear someone is in need, you always want to help.”

Venzke and her peers at the shop personally knew Kollock and his wife, Katie, who is a teacher at PODS. They worked with school staff to organize the bake sale, donating 100 percent of the proceeds to the Kollock family.

“I know they have been having some fundraisers at PODS,” said Dawn Schumitsch, co-owner of Real Deals. “We have a business, and we thought, what a great opportunity to help.”

Students and their parents cooked the baked goods and prepared outdoor signage to draw in customers on the last day of May.