'MaddyPalooza' To Raise Funds For Scholarship In Memory Of Libertyville Junior

LIBERTYVILLE, IL -- A Libertyville High School junior succumbed to brain cancer last fall but her family is hoping to keep her memory alive through a scholarship they plan to award in her name. Maddy McInerneydied after a tw0-year battle with cancer on Nov. 25, 2016. Nearly a year later, family and friends of Maddy are planning a MaddyPalooza event at CrossFit Freedom, 748 W. Park Ave. in Libertyville, to help raise funds for their scholarship program.

MaddyPalooza will be held from 6 to 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 16 and will include bands and food. Those planning to attend can purchase a $20 wristband at Libertyville High School or Serendipity, 338 N. Milwaukee Avenue.

The event is meant to celebrate Maddy's "amazing spirit, life and love of friends," as well as raise funds for a $2,000 scholarship the family plans to award annually to a Libertyville High School student.

Madelynn McInerney died at the age of 17. She was a junior at Libertyville High School and was active in the choir and was on the cheerleading and the bowling team.

When she was in sixth grade and eighth grade, Maddy shaved her head for St. Baldrick's childhood cancer research events, telling her dad, "I have a choice, dad. They don't," according to the Daily Herald. She was not aware during the eighth grade event that she also had cancer. After seeking treatment for ongoing headaches, her family learned she had an "orange-sized tumor," the Daily Herald reports. She was cancer-free for 11 months but was then diagnosed with a glioblastoma.

In 2016, she served as the spokesperson for the local St. Baldrick's Children's Cancer Foundation event, according to her obituary.

She is remembered for her magnetic personality and her fighting spirit. She bucked the trend of cattiness during her teenage years, ignoring "teenage cliques, labels and boundaries, and welcoming all into her sphere," according to the Daily Herald.

Family members now hope they can pass along a scholarship in Maddy's name to someone who epitomizes some of Maddy's best qualities.

"Its sole purpose is to fund a scholarship every year in Maddy's name for someone like Maddy, who shows her spirit,the incredible ability to bring people together, which is who Maddy was," Maddy's father, Dave, told the Daily Herald.

More via the Daily Herald

Photo caption: Maddy McInerney surfed in Hawaii as part of the Make-A-Wish program. Photo credit: Submitted