Mon. April 11th
Never a dull day here at B+ Foundation World Headquarters (I just like the sound of that! 🙂 …
Just got back from Barber Motor Speedway in Birmingham, AL where the B+ #45 car, driven by Al Carter & Hugh Plumb, turned in an impressive 9th place finish. I’m not real knowledgeable about cars, but we had a lot of engine trouble during the race. As it was explained to me, our V-8 was running more like a V-7 (I know there’s not such a thing) as we had a cylinder problem. So, in a sport decided by tenths of seconds, a 9th place finish was phenomenal. More importantly, two days before the race, we visited the Children’s Hospital of Alabama. As we toured their PICU, I honestly felt nauseous. May God bless those little kids.
On a far less serious note, we couldn’t fly out of Birmingham Saturday night because of the weather in Charlotte, so we drove to Atlanta to catch a 6:30am flight on Sunday. So, what do you think happens when you’re riding on the highway with two race car drivers (one of which was behind the wheel)? You guessed it! We got the opportunity to meet an Alabama State Trooper. First question was ‘where are you from?’. I sure wish Hugh could have answered something a little more southern than Pennsylvania. I was afraid that Hugh was going to say “This is the slowest I’ve driven all day!” It got a little hairy for a while (I won’t go into details, but let’s just say I say the Trooper put his hand on his gun. No joke.) but we were let off with a warning. Thank you, Officer!
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On Sunday morning, fresh off of the airplane, I headed to “B+ Touch A Truck” at the Hockessin PAL. B+ Program Director, Katie Wilson, was in charge of this event and did an awesome job with all aspects of the event. We had a great crowd, the rain held off, and we had a surprise visit from the Delaware State Police helicopter. That was a HUGE hit! There were so many cool trucks of every kind in the parking lot…I think the kids (and some of the bigger kids) really enjoyed themselves. Great job, Katie, and thank you to all of our sponsors and organizations that brought their vehicles!
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Paul Campanella’s Auto & Tire Fundraiser for The B+ Foundation – Sat. April 16th – 8:00am- 3:00pm
Need your oil changed, tires rotated, safety inspection?
ALL proceeds this Saturday will go to The B+ Foundation in honor of Andrew and to help us in our mission to fight all types of childhood cancers. Call Paul at 777-7170 to schedule an appointment. There will also be hot dogs, snacks, and drinks. Check out the new Campanella’s Auto & Tire Center website at www.campanellas.com . Get your car in shape while helping us fight childhood cancers. Paul and his team have done a lot of work on our cars and they also did all of the work on the 1927 Chevy that we recently sold as a Foundation fundraiser. The Campanellas have been great friends and huge supporters of The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation. Are you ready for an oil change???
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My buddy, Chris Grundner, has taught me so much about running a foundation. Unfortunately, Chris’ wife passed away following a battle with a brain tumor and he started The Kelly Heinz-Grundner Foundation (KHG) a few years before Andrew got sick. So, when we started The B+ Foundation, Chris was instrumental in guiding me around the minefields of a leading a non-profit organization.
And, amidst the sadness that we face in the battle against cancers – be it childhood or brain tumors in kids and adults – there are some really heart-warming stories. Chris unwittingly played matchmaker when he invited Chris Stein, singer, songwriter, and youth pastor, and Jackie Pilla, former Miss Delaware, to be the hosts of the 2009 KHG Brain Tumor Awareness Walk. Both Chris Stein and Jackie Pilla are brain tumor survivors who found that they had a lot more in common. To make a long story short, they’re getting married! You can read more about them at http://www.khgfoundation.org/walk09/hosts09.php).
They are currently in the running for a very cool Crate & Barrel “$100,000 Ultimate Wedding Contest”. Given what they’ve been through, I think they’d be a very deserving winning couple. You can only vote once, but if you want to help them, please vote at:
http://www.ultimateweddingcontest.com/entry/161469?vote=1
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Finally, don’t forget the inaugural “B+ College Classic” soccer tournament this Sat. April 16th at Kirkwood Soccer in New Castle, DE. The men’s teams (Delaware, Navy, Villanova, Lafayette, Temple, Monmouth) play at 10am and 1pm. The ladies (Maryland, Navy, Villanova) play at 11:30am, 12:30pm, and 1:30pm. The men’s bracket is named “The Andrew McDonough Bracket” and the women’s is “The Amy Stevens Bracket”. Amy was a friend of Andrew’s, a star athlete, and a wonderful young lady who died tragically last October. We will also have some “B+ Heroes” present at the tournament.
We’d like to thank all of our sponsors, particularly Horizon Services, Delmarva Broadcasting, Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, and Bifferato LLC.
We hope to see you on Saturday for some high-level college soccer and the opportunity to raise awareness and money for our battle against childhood cancer.
Please spread the word! Thanks.
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I’m going to hold off on writing about our “Featured Family” since this Update is getting a little long.
Live Like Andrew – “Be who you are, and be that well!” (St. F. deS.)
B+
Ali’s & Andrew’s Dad