Ryland Kautz and Paisley Gritzuk walk to midfield as honorary captains for the Oct. 13 football game. Photo by Dave Vissers. More photos at Dave Vissers Photography

KAUKAUNA — Kaukauna High School’s Civic Engagement class is organizing a Haunted Hallways fundraiser Saturday to benefit a pair of students at Dr. H. B. Tanner Elementary School facing terminal illness.

The event for the families of Ryland Kautz and Paisley Gritzuk is Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 at Kaukauna High School. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and close at 8 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door at a price of $3 or two tickets for $5.

This will be open to all kids ages 3-11 throughout the Fox Valley.

Attendees will have the option to choose between a scary and non-scary experience.

The two students also were honored at last Friday’s Kaukauna High School football game where they were honorary captains and a raffle was held to benefit them as well.

Ryland Kautz, a kindergartener at Tanner, was diagnosed in late June with inoperable brain cancer known as Altered Diffused Midline Glioma.

Follow Kautz’s journey at https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rylandkautz.

Paisley Gritzuk, a first-grader at Tanner Elementary, was diagnosed in 2016 with Neurocutaneous Melanocytosis and has been battling it ever since.

She has undergone nine surgeries this year alone. Follow her journey through Facebook at Prayers and Positivity for Paisley.

All proceeds will go toward the families of these two kids.



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By Dan Plutchak

Dan Plutchak, born and raised in Kaukauna, is cofounder of Kaukauna Community News.