Thanks for visiting my page! I know that we all have lots of demands on our charitable giving and time, but please take a few minutes to read this email and continue the fight against childhood cancers. First of all, I’d like to thank those of you who have donated in the past for your amazing support in my previous St. Baldrick’s fundraising efforts. This year marks my seventh year as a “shavee” – to date, we’ve donated over $103,000! Thank you all so much for your amazing generosity and compassion in supporting the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and the fight against childhood cancers.
On March 16, I’m putting my head under the shears again to honor the courageous children and families fighting childhood cancer and to raise money to find cures to these cancers through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. In particular, I’d like to honor our friends, the Gerber family, and their son Teddy. His amazing parents, Jessica and Bill, tell Teddy’s story best (http://www.stbaldricks.org/kids/mypage/2435), but I’d like to share a few things about him. This week would have been Teddy’s 17th birthday. He was 8 years old and in third grade when he was diagnosed with undifferentiated sarcoma in his chest. After 9 months of grueling surgeries and treatments in New York, New Haven, and Boston, and the associated emotional rollercoaster for Teddy, his parents, and his brother and sister, Teddy passed away in August 2010.
One of Teddy’s most joyful experiences during his illness was the first St. Baldrick's event at our elementary school in 2010. He was the guest of honor and kicked off the evening by shaving his brother's head (every little brother’s dream!), and as the evening wore on, he felt comfortable enough to take off the hooded sweatshirt that was omnipresent during his treatment because he wasn't the only bald kid at school anymore. This year, we expect to cross the $1 million mark in terms of funds raised by our community – thanks in no small part to all of you!
While keeping administrative and fundraising costs low, St. Baldrick’s turns over 75% of your donations into grants for research to find cures, to make treatments less dangerous for young people, and to give survivors of childhood cancers a better quality of life. St. Baldrick’s is the largest funder of childhood research grants, second only to the US Government. In this short note, I can’t begin to do justice to all that St. Baldrick’s does on behalf of these brave children, so please explore their website to learn more.
Thank you for your time in reading this email. Please consider giving to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and join me in honoring families like the Gerbers. One of my definitions of a Better Working World is one where we take back childhood from cancer and where kids like Teddy don’t have to be courageous – they can just be kids.
Thank you for your amazing continued support and generosity!