The four Friendship Benches being installed at Dogwood Park represent a meaningful marker in the life of their benefactor, Phoenix Bridegroom.
Phoenix, 19, decided to raise funds and have the benches built for her Gold Award project with the Girl Scouts. They are scheduled to be installed soon, weather permitting. She will graduate June 5 from Chesterton High School and plans to start in August at Ball State University as a communications major, specializing in media production.
But there’s more to the project than four new benches in a park.
Phoenix is the survivor of multiple bouts with acute lymphoblastic leukemia that first occurred when she was 5. She has been cancer-free for more than 6 years after doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia successfully deployed what was then a new treatment option.
“I want to give back to the community because they did so much for me growing up,” Phoenix said.
The Friendship Benches each have a simple question, aimed at generating conversations for children between the ages of 6 and 12.
Phoenix remembers feeling like an outsider when she was younger because the leukemia flare-ups caused her to feel isolated at times.
“I was uncomfortable with socializing,” Phoenix said. “I felt different from the kids, and I didn’t know how to feel like that at that time.”
Phoenix had to repeat kindergarten because she missed a school year after her initial leukemia diagnosis.
“The first time I didn’t really have a recollection of what was happening,” Phoenix said.
When Phoenix recovered the first time, she joined the Girl Scouts in kindergarten, and they have given her a sense of community ever since. It gave her a needed “breather” from dealing with her illness at times and the opportunity to make friends.
“I could show more of my quirky side. I could learn more ways to get into my community better,” Phoenix said.
Becky McGowan, the leader of Girl Scout Troop 30321, said that it’s been a pleasure to have Phoenix in the troop all these years. Phoenix is petite in stature. But McGowan said people soon learn that she’s assertive.
“This girl has spunk and attitude,” McGowan said.
There are banners hanging on the front porch railing of the Bridegroom home, recognizing that Phoenix is graduating and Ball State bound.
John Bridegroom, looking at the banners, acknowledges that he didn’t know whether he would get to enjoy a moment like this.
“We’ve been blessed,” Bridegroom said. “I can’t imagine anything harder and for 10 years in our life, it was a real struggle. To be here and where we are is wonderful.”
“Having been in that world for a while, we saw lots of families that didn’t have that kind of good fortune,” Bridegroom said.
Phoenix went through a difficult time at age 9 in 2015, when the leukemia recurred. She was more aware of what was happening to her.
She had a bone marrow transplant. The donor was Brett Kasper, a man she didn’t know who was then playing quarterback at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
At the age of 10, Phoenix met Kasper and People magazine wrote a story about their meeting and their bond.
Then, when Phoenix was 12, she went to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where they were treating children suffering from leukemia with what was then cutting-edge cell therapy.
Bridegroom said the local community has been incredibly supportive throughout. There were several fundraisers, like a spaghetti dinner put on by Peggy Sue’s Diner.
“Chesterton as a community really stunned us,” Bridegroom said. “The (Duneland) school system went above and beyond the call of duty.”
Bridegroom said the Duneland School Corporation even sent tutors to Phoenix when she was hospitalized to ensure she kept up with her studies.
One personal touch in elementary school was when a giant teddy bear was placed in Phoenix’s seat whenever she was hospitalized.
“The giant teddy bear was in her seat so the kids wouldn’t forget about her,” Bridegroom said.
Bridegroom said that it was her daughter’s idea to do the Friendship Benches.
Phoenix raised $1,100 from donors for materials and got the Chesterton High School’s building and trades students to construct the benches.
Chesterton Parks Superintendent Tyler McLead said he’s grateful to Phoenix for the time and effort she put into the project.
“Her Friendship Benches are more than just places to sit — they represent community, connection and kindness. Her project reflects a thoughtful understanding of how public spaces can foster inclusion and emotional well-being,” McLead said.
Bridegroom said he’s so grateful that Phoenix these past few years has been able to live a “regular, healthy life.”
“She gets to go on and do the things that she’s doing now,” Bridegroom said. “She’s not wasting that, which is wonderful.”
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
