Fri. March 22nd
B+ Nation, a short, but heartfelt, thank-you note for you! 🙂
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Hawk Fest and SALSThon Huge Successes
By every measure, the St. George’s Technical High School “Hawk Fest” and the Salesianum/Ursuline/Padua “SALSThon” were tremendous successes last weekend. Both events drew big crowds, the students had fun, the B+ Heroes and their families inspired the crowd, and a great deal of awareness and money was generated for the battle against childhood cancers. Hawk Fest exceeded their $4,600 goal by raising over $12,000 and SALSThon crushed their $46,000 goal by raising over $73,000. This money will go to great use to fund research and help families currently in the battle. Another example of the “kids these days” helping us get one step closer to cures. The SALSThon event was particularly meaningful to me, Chris, and Ali because Salesianum was Andrew’s school. Even though most of the students never had the privilege of meeting Andrew, they are still his Salesian brothers. The way that these young men embraced the mission of fighting childhood cancer while honoring Andrew means so much to our family. And, I know that Ali was proud of her alma mater, Ursuline, for participating as well. We look forward to both of these events becoming annual traditions at these schools.
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7th Annual B+ 5k
Get your teams ready!
The registration site will open in the next few days for the 7th Annual B+ Fighting Childhood Cancer 5k Run/Walk at Salesianum School in Wilmington on Thurs. June 20th. This event is not only one of the biggest 5k Run/Walks in Delaware, but it is so much more. It’s a family festival where running times aren’t as important as seeing friends and honoring our B+ Heroes and their siblings on the steps of Salesianum following the run/walk. You’ll have a ton of food to eat and we have a few surprise enhancements for this year. I’ll post the registration link in the next few days.
I’d like to give a shout out to three great sponsors of our event – Horizon Services, Seasons Pizza, and TD Bank!
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Alliance for Childhood Cancer Action Days
As you may recall, The B+ Foundation is one of 24 members of a national group called the Alliance for Childhood Cancer. We will be hosting Action Days on June 18-19 in Washington, DC and would love to have you join us. Participants will get training and briefings on the 18th and then hit the Hill on the 19th to speak to members of Congress and their staffs about the scourge that is childhood cancer. Having a child with cancer is NOT a pre-requisite for joining us. Having a firm resolve that kids shouldn’t die and ‘survivors’ of childhood cancer shouldn’t suffer with side effects is required. We need to make our voices heard. I believe that societies are judged, in part, on how they treat their most vulnerable. How can we find it acceptable that less than 4% of government cancer research funding is allocated to childhood cancer research? I realize that tough fiscal decisions need to be made in Washington right now, but I think it’s high time for a sensible re-allocation of resources. If you’re interested in joining us and can make the time, please contact me at joe@livelikeandrew.org. Thanks.
Cancer Conference
I’ve been asked to share with you a much deeper, more scientific opportunity with you courtesy of our friends at another childhood cancer fighting organization. This opportunity probably appeals to a much smaller audience, but I want to share it with you nonetheless.
The International Pediatric Renal Tumor Conference is a gathering of the world’s very best researchers and oncologists on the issue of pediatric renal tumors like Wilms Tumor, Rhabdoid Tumor, and more. The Pablove Foundation’s sponsorship is making “Family Day” possible on Friday, May 10th. Patient families and survivors will have access to presentations on clinical developments and lectures on renal tumor biology in the morning. An extended question and answer session designed specifically for family attendees is slated for the afternoon with international experts like Dr. Jeffery Dome, Dr. Norbert Graf, and Dr. Elizabeth Perlman. Families will get a chance to ask questions directly to the world’s best, both during the Q&A but also through chances to interact one-on-one during meals, breaks, and other sessions. The conference is FREE for families and childcare will be provided. More information and registration is available at http://pablove.org/renaltumor.
I hope you all make it a great weekend.
Live Like Andrew!
Ali & Andrew’s Dad