Johnson's road paved by Challis' foundation

Rochester senior Alente Johnson spent the past week in Mesa, Ariz., developing his baseball skills at the Under Armour Recruiting Classic. He overcame life-threatening challenges just a few years ago just to get there.

He didn't spend the week alone, though, thanks to the legacy of another local athlete who faced challenges of his own. Johnson's family accompanied him on the trip thanks to the Courage For Life Foundation, a foundation started by John Challis before his death in 2008.

"It was amazing how that all developed," said Johnson. "They say that God works in mysterious ways and there is no other way to explain it."

Johnson qualified for the Under Armour Classic in June but then faced an equally challenging task of raising the $3,000 to attend.

"With three kids, having $3,000 for the week after Christmas wasn't going to be easy," said Christina, Alente's mother. "But Alente said, 'That's OK, we'll fundraise the money. So we started planning for spaghetti dinners.

"I wrote up a letter about what we were planning and started looking for donations. A couple of friends, Sherry (LaValle) and Marian (Bauer), took them to Beaver Super and, on the way out, they said why don't we try the Shirley Shoppe? They weren't sure why but they did. While they were explaining the letter, another lady shopping there asked for information and thought she knew a foundation that could help."

That shopper was Kristen Milanovich, a member of the CFL Foundation board. Within 45 minutes, Milanovich had reached enough other board members by telephone to get the go-ahead.

"It was amazing," said Christina. "I had started that morning with a list of things I had to get done and then I get a call from Kristen that solved everything. She told me that I'd be getting a call from Scott, the travel coordinator, to set things up."

"Scott" is Scott Challis, John's father.

"No last names had been mentioned so I had no idea," said Christina. "But we started talking and comparing what we had been through. Alente had been down to 108 pounds and so had John. There were so many of the same things we had been through.

"We talked about what we needed and told him what it would take to get Alente there. Scott said that no way were they sending Alente by himself; this was an experience for the whole family and they were sending all of us.

"I didn't know how to respond -- to go from hearing the doctors say there's nothing more they can do for Alente two years ago to this, there is nothing to say but that we're blessed."

"What a crazy way for this to happen," Alente said. "They went into a store they didn't want to go to and someone else overhears them? That's just amazing.

"I saw John's story when it was on ESPN and he was just incredible. Some people have told me that I'm an inspiration but I don't see it that way. I'm just a normal kid that did what he had to do, that's all."