Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN Celebrities and civilians alike headed to McMurphy’s Sports Bar and the Aquarius Club for the Shjon Podein Children’s Foundation’s 12th annual
celebrity party on June 28. The event lets average Joes mix and mingle with stars of sports, music and television while raising money for the foundation. The Shjon Podein Children’s Foundation, also known as Team 25, provides support and community to children facing extraordinary difficulties. Podein, a Rochester native and National Hockey League player, and his wife, Sherry, were inspired to establish the foundation after meeting Brian and JessicaChristensen, siblings from Rochester who both suffered from ataxia telangiectasia, a genetic disease that attacks children, causing cancers and affecting muscle control and the immune system. “I realized that I had to give back more to the community,” said Shjon Podein. Podein’s support is more than just financial. He and the Team 25 kids and their families have become close friends. “I get way more from the families than I could ever give to them,” said Podein. Doug and Lori Eaton, friends of the Christensen family, witnessed this bond firsthand.
“Brian and Shjon were best friends,” said Lori Eaton.