Fifteen individuals and seven organizations recently received the Union County Human Relations Commission’s prestigious Unity Award for Achievement, an honor given to role models who dedicate their time and efforts to activities and programs that raise and honor the human spirit.
The awards were handed out during a special presentation held at the Kean University’s STEM Building in Union Township on Monday, May 7, 2018. The 2018 awards marked the 17th year
in which the Commission has named honorees.
The Unity Achievement Award by a Student was presented to Katherine Schug, a senior at Scotch Plains/Fanwood High School. Katherine was recognizedfor standing up and speaking out to embrace her “differentness” and to turn a challenge into an opportunity. Below is preprinted from the event’s program.
Katherine Schug had to learn how to adjust to some of life’s challenges at an early age. She has severe allergies to milk, eggs, and peanuts, she was allergic to wheat, too, until she partially grew out of that at the age of five. She is ok if the wheat is toasted. She also has eczema and asthma.
Katherine has said that having allergies has had a profound effect on her family. Her parents, with concerns about their children’s nutrition and health, had to embark on a new path. They worried about school, and how these allergies would impact peer relationships. Would she be teased? Would she be invited to parties? They also feared for her safety and worried about the risk of a fatal reaction. The number of people developing food allergies is increasing, and many don’t know they can be life-threatening.
In elementary school at lunchtime, Katherine had to sit separate from her classmates at a special “allergy table,” far away from the common area, which featured scary peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. In middle school, she sat at the end of the table to give herself a little more space. Katherine has shared that sitting with the others who shared allergies, she didn’t feel alone; she felt special.
Anyone who knows Katherine Schug knows she is special. When she was in sixth grade, she started a website for teens called “Reach For The Stars” to help create awareness about food allergies. Witnessing classmates who are bullied by others for their allergies, she changed the name to Teen FAAB – Food Allergies and Anti-Bullying – to show the FAABulous side of food allergies, help teens cope and support each other, and to help people change their lives.
She has presented information on food allergies and anti-bullying at the Food Allergy Research and Education Teen Summit in Washington, D.C. She has advocated for those who face the challenges she faces, letting them know they are not alone, and they can make a difference in their own lives, and in the attitude of the world. Katherine has shared that, although having food allergies has made things challenging, it hasn’t made them impossible.
Katherine has said, “Together, as a community, we can accomplish something big! It just takes one person to start it.”
