KELLOGG — The Wildcat community rallied around some of its own recently, when the Kellogg High School Boys Basketball team turned a busy weekend into what has become known as the Live for Viv Fundraiser.  

Last week, the Wildcat basketball players presented the Bourgard family with $5,826.95, all of which was raised through donations, 50/50 raffles and T-shirt sales during the team’s back-to-back home games against Grangeville and Orofino. 

In January, 2-year-old Vivian Bourgard was diagnosed with acute leukemia, forcing her parents to relocate to Spokane where they have been in and out of the Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital ever since.  

Vivian is the daughter of Eli and Lauren Bourgard, both of whom are deeply connected to the Kellogg School District. They are graduates, athletes, teachers and coaches. Many of the boys in the basketball program either had Eli Bourgard as a teacher in elementary school or were coached by him in middle school.  

“You can say what you want about our valley, but they really circle the wagons when somebody needs something,” Eli Bourgard said. “It’s cool to be a part of a community where that happens.” 

According to him, in January they noticed Vivian limping and took her to her pediatrician, who assumed that the limp was a small injury sustained by a playful child. When the limp escalated to something more painful, they had bloodwork and other testing done to see what could be causing the discomfort. The news they received was devastating, but according to her dad, her prognosis is good and they are hopeful that Vivian will make a full recovery. 

Last Thursday, Eli Bourgard, along with two of Vivian’s four siblings, stopped by Andrews Gymnasium where they were presented with gifts, including presents and a gift basket that had been put together by the St. Maries boys basketball team.   

Eli Bourgard addressed the team, highlighting how thankful he and his family were and acknowledging the work the boys were putting in, both on and off the court.  

“There are two types of people, there’s energy givers and energy takers. Watching you guys play, there’s a lot of energy givers,” he said. “You guys always bring juice. People who pay for tickets always get their money’s worth. I think a lot of why this was so successful was because of you guys, because people want to get behind Kellogg boys basketball. It’s a special group.”  

Kellogg coach Mike Martin was taken aback by the support the fundraiser received, not because it wasn’t a worthy cause, but because it was put together in roughly a week after a chance conversation between a handful of parents and members of his coaching staff.

“It’s pretty incredible to see the community come together like this. What the Bourgards are having to go through is unimaginable for most of us. Rarely do we get to reciprocate the support our community provides our program, so to get to be a part of giving back like this means a lot to us. To see all the work that Lisa, Nicole, Josh and our boys put in to make this what it was will leave a bigger mark than anything we accomplish on the basketball court.”  

    Two-year-old Vivian Bourgard.