Nov 12 10
A week ago tonight, Chris and I had the pleasure of attending something called “The 5th Quarter” at the United Methodist Church across the street from the Lampeter-Strasburg (LS) High School outside of Lancaster, PA. This is an idea that many people across the country should ‘borrow’. After every home football game, the area churches host “The 5th Quarter” as a place where kids can hang out after the game. There’s a band, a bonfire, basketball court, and a TON of free food. They draw about 400-500 kids after every game. It’s amazing! And, Mike, the Youth Minister, asked me to speak to the kids. I shared with them Andrew’s story and the mission of The B+ Foundation. While the air temperature was chilly, there was just such a nice feeling of warmth and love among the rather large group. It was so impressive. Thank you, Lampeter-Strasburg community, for allowing us to join you for “The 5th Quarter”.
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Speaking of great events, Chris, Ali, & I attended a fundraising kickball game today at Forwood Elementary School in Wilmington, DE. The whole school was outside on the playground for a battle between the older elementary school students and the teachers (including the superintendent). There was a lot of trash talking going on between the teams and I’m sorry to report that the big bullies beat the students in the game. I told the kids to cheat, but I guess they’re too honest. They didn’t listen to me. The ABC-TV affiliate from Philadelphia (Channel 6) shot some video of the game and I’m told it aired on the 6pm news (unfortunately, I missed it!). Forwood Elementary School, thank you very much for raising money for our fight against childhood cancer.
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“Featured Family of the Week”
Today, I would like to introduce you to Gloria, a brave little girl from Pennsylvania. In second grade, Gloria was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She had surgery to remove 90% of the tumor and had multiple rounds of radiation. As you have read before on this site, the chemotherapy and radiation protocols for children take a massive toll on their developing bodies. As a result, this young lady has insufficient function of hormones and glands leading to sub-normal growth and diabetes. Additionally, she faces learning difficulties due to the brain surgery and radiation as well. As I wrote in a recent newspaper Op/Ed piece, 70% of childhood cancer survivors will battle ‘chronic’ side effects and 42% will face life-threatening side effects resulting from the treatment regimen.
YOUR Foundation is assisting this family with their utility bills so that Gloria and her family can have heat, light, and water as she battles through her recovery. Thank you!
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MAKE it a great weekend. It’s up to you!
Live Like Andrew – B+
Ali’s & Andrew’s Dad