Rose Ostrowski may look like the average 12-year-old seventh grader from Berwick, but she has amazing skill and passion to spare. In 2012, with the support of her family, Rose set the goal of using her singing talents to help raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Great Strides. Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections, which can ultimately limit a person’s ability to breathe properly. Rose’s cousin Camillia was affected by CF and passed away in 2012. Just eight years old at the time, Rose decided she wanted to do something to help fight this horrible disease.
Rose has always been interested in singing. She is a longtime fan of the famous artist P!NK and loves to jam out to rock and roll. “When Rose was eight, we had her do a cover of ‘Let It Be,’” her father, Gene, says. “We thought it was just going to be for fun until somebody recommended that we have her go to a recording studio.” Rose’s journey towards making a difference was about to take off. After recording her cover of the Beatles’ hit song, her family was pleased with the results. “Our good friend Bill Leverty, who was kind enough to record Rose, called us on the ride home from the studio. He said we should put the song on iTunes.” After uploading the song to iTunes, the Ostrowski family came up with the idea to donate all proceeds collected from the downloaded song to the CF Foundation.
Since then, Rose has performed at multiple CF Foundation events, including her annual “Adding Tomorrows” mall tour, which raised over $1,200 last year, and continues to raise awareness for the disease that hits so close to home for her family. Singing on behalf of her cousin Camillia and all who suffer from CF has become an important part of Rose’s life. “I want everyone to know that they should reach their goals and follow their dreams,” she says. Rose plans to continue making a difference for as long as she can, with the hope that others will do their part to help this incredible foundation as well.
