Friday, 17 August 2018

Brats, Cheesy Potatoes & Baked Beans


First Published on 4.19.18


Courier readers probably spent Easter with their families & loved ones enjoying a great meal, reminiscing, & engaging in warm conversation. We simply take this for granted and are probably affronted if these celebrations don’t occur. However, among those for whom travel home to family is not possible, are Beloit College students. BC is often called the Harvard of the Midwest, not only for its academic rigor but also for attracting students from around the world. Most simply cannot get home for a holiday we take for granted.

So, you ask, “What does this have to do with Milton?” Plenty. I just happen to know this quiet, unassuming Milton guy who is a BC staff member. Some of you know him as a scholar athlete at Milton College – a Hall of Famer both as an athlete & as a collegiate coach. Some of you know him as the guy at the finish line of our July 4th run. What you may not know is that this guy has a heart as big as the world. On nearly every holiday he & his family prepare food for close to a hundred athletes, students, and any family members of students who may be in Beloit. Brats, baked beans, & cheesy potatoes by the nesco-full travel from Milton to BC. This guy, & his family, feed these kids - his kids, his athletes - because they are sort of stranded at holiday time.

Why would this guy prepare food for days ahead and sacrifice his own holiday time for kids that may only be a fleeting part of his life? He would not call it a sacrifice. He would call it an important investment in making the world a better place. He came to Milton as a college student and stayed. Milton and family is in his very being. Simply, this is who and what he is – a guy spreading caring and kindness in a very personalized manner. He would be happy if no one knew of this and he would continue do it. But I find him to be an inspiration, a light, a beacon, that we all so desperately need; so his story needs to be shared. Brian Bliese, you've been busted spreading kindness.


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