Giving Comes Full Circle

He was an athlete from Kentucky; she was the homecoming queen from Michigan. They met at Freed Hardeman University in Tennessee and eloped a few months later. For this young couple in love, it was a secret they kept while living in separate dorms. Sondra and Charles "Chuck" Creasey didn'tkeep the secret for long.

They eventually moved to Chuck's beloved University of Kentucky-where he finished his bachelor's degree. Chuck began teaching and coaching at Grand Blanc Schools. Sondra, a Burton native, said, "It was nice to get back home to be close to family and friends. Everyone I wanted to be around is here."

And that's still the case today for Sondra, a widow of 12 years. She loves Grand Blanc, the schools, the tight community, the people. Her favorite gathering place is Little Joe's Tavern where the small town feel still exists and Sondra is a familiar face. She lunches there every Thursday with girlfriends, the place where everyone knows her name.

Sondra has been a loyal donor to the Grand Blanc Community Fund, supporting the community she cares about most. She raised two sons here, served as a school volunteer and Den mother. In 1981, Sondra and her friends started the Hard Times party, a chili fundraising event at the Grand Blanc Senior Center which continues to be sold out year after year.

Chuck served as the first full-time Parks and Recreation Director in Grand Blanc, a position he held until he retired in 2000 after 41 years of dedicated service to the community he loved. Creasey Bicentennial Park was the first large land acquisition made under Chuck's direction. His legacy lives on today within the park, a great place to spend time with friends and family. Sondra is gratified by the roots she and Chuck planted, and is especially proud of the park which was named after her husband.