Shooting for a Cure is not your typical basketball tournament. Yes, lots of great kids come together for a fun day & play a game they enjoy. However, the real reason behind this day is because of a woman named Susan Liebelt. Sue taught FACS classes & was the FCCLA advisor for many years at Fessenden-Bowdon school. We were fortunate enough to have Mrs.Liebelt in our lives. She had a heart of gold & her teaching continued outside of the classroom. Shooting for a Cure is about creating awareness, raising money for the Roger Maris Cancer Center (Fargo, ND), and most of all, honoring the life of Susan Liebelt. Sue passed away June 25th, 2008 at only 59 years of age. However, she continues to inspire from heaven. Susan "Sue" Liebelt was a devoted teacher, wife, and mother to say the least. Numerous words could be used to describe her, although fighter is usually the first word that comes to mind. Sue never smoked a single cigarette in her life and somehow ended up with lung cancer. At one point she was in remission, but later the terrible disease came back. The most amazing thing was that through all of this, no matter how tough or hard it got, Sue never gave up. She continued to be passionate about her career and family, if not even more. She endured countless operations, radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Sue even tried an experimental treatment in Maryland because there was no way she would quit without a hard fought battle.
It was astonishing watching her go through all of the treatments and doctors' appointments. She had an unrelenting drive and determination in her heart to remain a great teacher. Sue even continued her own education, and in the fall of 2007, graduated from North Dakota State University with honors. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Consumer Science Education. It’s hard to believe how anyone could possibly continue to muster the energy to do what she did; especially with a smile that never seemed to fade.
Sue taught Family and Consumer Science, Career Exploration, Foods, Textiles, Family Life, and was the FCCLA advisor at Fessenden-Bowdon School for many years. It was evident she was a great teacher. In 2004, she received the Outstanding Young Educator award in FACS. At the top of her classroom rules were 2 things students had to come to class equipped with: a smiling face and a positive attitude. After all, she did every single day. Her students saw this and it meant more to them than one would imagine. When Sue was being interviewed for the local news channel, she actually said what kept her moving forward was her students. In reality, the reason we continued to go on with smiling faces and good attitudes was solely because of her. Susan Liebelt was our inspiration, our hero, our fighter, our teacher, our strength, our determination, our warrior, and above all, our friend. Sue is now our beautiful angel who watches over us as she continues to inspire us from heaven.
The annual Shooting for a Cure Basketball Tournament was created in 2009 in honor of this beloved person who led a life many aspire to live by. Blessed be her memory.