Farmington Hills Crohn's Advocate Sees State House Pass Resolution

On the heels of a successful fundraiser for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), 20-year-old Farmington Hills native Michael Rubenstein watched May 8 as the Michigan House of Representatives declared May, 2013 Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Month. 

State Rep. Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills) introduced the resolution, which acknowledges that the inflammatory bowel diseases affect about 1,400,000 people in the U.S., 30 percent of whom are diagnosed as children. 

Rubenstein, a Harrison High alum, was just 11 years old when he started holding fundraisers, about two years after his own diagnosis. Since then, according to his website, he has raised more than $25,000 for CCFA, including $5,000 at the April 26 event in Midland. 

"Michael is an amazing young man," Barnett said. "In the face of a diagnosis of a condition that is debilitating, he stood up and said, 'I want to make this world a better place'." 

Read a recap of Rubenstein's fundraiser on mlive.com. 

Read about Rubenstein's advocacy work on Harrison High's Catalyst newspaper website.