Film Local Culture Community Orgs
Giving a Local The Best Day Ever in E.C.
Lakken Burzynski was taken on an epic adventure in town thanks to a local videographer and Visit Eau Claire
Local freelance videographer Austin Bower loves a good random act of kindness. Inspired by MTV’s 2010 series, The Buried Life, in which a group of friends travel the world helping people cross things off their bucket lists, Bower has dreamed of creating his own local version for a deserving stranger. This past August, he finally made it happen.
By teaming up with Visit Eau Claire and working with a slew of local businesses and artists, Bower was able to provide a special day to a total stranger – local 21-year-old Lakken Burzynski, who is currently fighting cancer for the second time.
Lakken and her partner, Luke, were surprised with a day full of adventures, including a breakfast at ECDC, a rooftop charcuterie workshop with Northwoods Grazing at The Dive, an Eau Claire Express Game, bike trail rides on E-scooters from The Local Store, an authentic Teppanyaki experience from Tokyo, and drinks and a private rooftop performance at Helix by none other than Chris Kroeze.
Though Bower was busy behind the lens most of the day, there was one special moment that stood out: “When the Chris Kroeze concert started, it got to a point where there wasn’t really anything else for me to do other than just kind of enjoy the moment. So right after I introduced Chris Kroeze, I started tearing up because I finally was able to step back and see the day.… Everything fell into place. All the businesses were so giving.”
The video of Lakken’s special day was released Nov. 28 in honor of Giving Tuesday and serves as a reminder that we can give love and kindness in so many ways – even to people we don’t know.
And it doesn’t stop there: Bower hopes to continue to collaborate with Visit Eau Claire and other businesses to provide more special days for local people in the future. “Showing someone’s story and showing real people that are going through difficult things just makes it so much more powerful. … I think the video shows it well just because Lakken shows it well. ... She’s just such a positive person.”
See Lakken’s full day of adventure right here:
Find additional information about the project online. If you would like to show your support, Lakken asks that you consider donating to local nonprofit Joshua’s Camp. View more of Austin’s work at www.austinbower.com.
