March 2024 Newsletter
Swifter, Higher, Stronger Together.
Our theme for 2024 is the Olympics!
The motto for the Olympics is “Swifter, Higher, Stronger Together”.
We are a local nonprofit. We can react quickly to meet the needs of our Families.
We aim to provide meaningful support and increase what is provided year after year.
The C.U.R.E. Family is stronger together - working with our Community to meet our Families’ needs and provide love and assistance where they are most needed.
The most important thing with the Olympics is to participate. It’s not necessarily the triumph, but the willingness and strive to work hard together!
Join our Team!
We are looking for interested candidates to join our C.U.R.E. Staff! The Part-Time Parent Advocate position would be working with our current Parent Advocate, Michelle, to ensure our Families are connected to resources and are supported. The position must be filled by the parent of a Long-Term Survivor.
Click here to review the full job description.
Please send your cover letter and resume to Holly. Click the button below to email your documents!
New Position Offering!
We are looking to expand the support we provide to our Bereaved Families. As such, we have created the Bereaved Family Advocate position. It is a part-time position that will be working directly with our Bereaved Families, planning events and programming. The incumbent must be a Parent who has lost a child to cancer or chronic blood disorder.
Click here to review the full job description.
Spotlight on: Ataliah
Meet our Friend, Ataliah.
Meet Ataliah! She is the older twin between her and her sister, Brielle. She was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia in August 2023. This diagnosis causes frequent admissions and clinic visits. Her care team describes her as “a big personality and articulate for her age” as she is able to express her needs and wants in addition to her don’ts. The Nurses know to hand her all her oral medications to take independently and have her involved in her own care as much as she possibly can. She is learning about “why” and “why not”. Ataliah also likes assisting with taking her vitals. It’s her way or no way! She is much loved for her great sense of humor and being jovial. Ataliah enjoys singing, dancing, coloring and playing with her tablet.
February Parents’ Night Out was sweet!
C.U.R.E. Parents/Caregivers had a great night out at the beautiful new location of Homemade Events Roc. An introduction to cookie decorating class was taught by Trish from Spoonful of Sugar Sweets. Each group was able to take home their finished product to enjoy. There was so much laughter in the room that night.
C.U.R.E. Parents/Caregivers please look for program emails for future events. If you are not receiving emails, please reach out to carol.austin@curekidscancer.com
Hey, C.U.R.E. Parents:
Did you know we have a private Facebook Group JUST for you? Connect with other parents. Ask questions about treatment, education help and more. Learn from others.
Contact us to learn more!
Now Open:
The Jeffrey Charles Sewell Memorial Scholarship is open for applicants. Last year, the scholarship was received by Fiona and Sara.
The Jeffrey Charles Sewell Scholarship was established by a founding C.U.R.E. Family in honor of their late son. This scholarship seeks to assist young people who were supported by C.U.R.E. and are currently attending or plan to attend college or trade school in 2024.
The JCS Scholarship winner will receive a one-time, $2,000 award to be applied towards their continuing education. Eligibility for this scholarship:
Cancer survivors who have been supported by C.U.R.E.; and
Have been accepted, are currently enrolled, or are a prospective student with plans to enroll into a 2-year, 4-year, or trade school.
If enrolled, must be in good standing with their college or institution.
Award winner can re-apply for the JCS Scholarship for each year they are enrolled in college or trade school.
Criteria:
For the inaugural award, the JCS Scholarship winner will be someone who has demonstrated a commitment to continuing education amidst life’s challenges, including the journey of surviving childhood cancer.
Though not a requirement, students pursuing education in science, medicine, social work, or other health sciences with career plans in children’s cancer are strongly encouraged to apply.
The Easter Egg Hunt hosted by A.P. Enterprises Property Services is back! The event is FREE to C.U.R.E. Immediate Household Members. Click the button below to get the Free Promo Code to RSVP!
Resources:
Childhood Cancer Survivor Scholarship and Employment Resources:
Children's Cancer Cause is assisting childhood cancer patients, survivors and families by centralizing most national resources that provide scholarships for survivors of childhood cancer or those with particular effects. The site also has resources and advice relating to employment and applying for these scholarships.
Some opportunities require commitment to a childhood cancer advocacy project while in college, while others make you eligible for you just being you. But you do need to apply! Be sure to read the instructions and qualifications very carefully. Apply in plenty of time to get feedback from family, guidance counselors and others. Board Member, Jacob Adams, would be happy to help if given at least two weeks’ notice. Please contact the office for his e-mail address.
YOU can help C.U.R.E. for FREE
Follow us on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/curekidscancerrochester
Instagram: @curekidscancer_
Twitter: @curekidscancer_
TikTok: @curekidscancer_Write a review about C.U.R.E. on our Facebook Page or on Google.
Write a blog that can be shared on our website.
Contact our Parent Advocate Michelle about doing an Instagram Takeover.
“Like”, Share or Comment on our social media posts.
Attention Campers, the wait is over!
The dates for Camp Good Days’ Summer 2024 programs are here! While registration isn't open yet, you can find out more information on their website!
Conquer Cancer in Kids:
make childhood cancer research a priority:
UPDATE: THE PETITION IS JUST SHY OF BEING ONE OF THE MOST SIGNED PETITIONS ON CHANGE.ORG. THE GOAL IS 15,016 SIGNATURES AND AS OF 2/22/2024, THERE ARE 15,039 SIGNATURES!
We invite our families and supporters to join CNN’s Rene Marsh as she advocates to make childhood cancer research a priority! Sadly, Rene lost her two year old son, Blake, to brain cancer in April 2021. She is now working with CNN and childhood cancer awareness advocates to make a difference!
To review and sign the petition, click the button below.
Petition to the Biden Administration to increase funding for childhood cancer research. This effort was started through awareness from The Ellen Show.
81,056 signatures of 150,000 wanted (as of 2/22/2024)
GRYT Health connects patients and caregivers to others with shared experience and to information relevant to their journey.
Through the GRYT app, we’ve created a platform for people affected by cancer to connect to others with similar experiences, and to tailored information that helps our users become more aware of options specific to their needs or diagnosis – empowering them to make choices that are right for them.
Our community of patients, survivors, medical professionals, researchers and advocates across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 100 countries worldwide have participated in almost 1,000,000 interactions to date, inspiring people to live according to their own standards.
Trust from our community is paramount to our success and something we take very seriously. We never share any of our users’ information without their explicit permission. Unlike other apps, GRYT is the first social community that is funded, built, and run by patients and caregivers where users communicate anonymously in real-time and each person is 100% in charge of what happens with their data.
Learn more about Bill A6430B
Creates the Sickle Cell Disease detection and education program
Sponsored by Hyndman
Thank you, Veronica!
Miss Veronica is one special girl! For her birthday this year, she decided to have a Kindness Party! Instead of gifts, she asked her guests to bring a toy to donate to the Families at C.U.R.E.... and they sure delivered! We are so thankful for Veronica and her friends for thinking of other kiddos on her big day.
Thank you Veronica for your big heart!
Thank you, IASC of Rochester!
A big thank you to the Italian American Sports Club of Rochester for their generous donation to C.U.R.E.! Every year, the IASC hosts a golf tournament to raise funds for various, local charities. Our friend, Sam Meloni, nominated C.U.R.E. as one of those non-profits to be a recipient. He first learned about C.U.R.E. through various events, such as the Recipe for a C.U.R.E. Sunday Brunch and A.P. Enterprises Easter Egg Hunt and has now become one of our biggest champions!
Thank you IASC and Sam for supporting our Families!
⟢Keep Shining, RDI Diamonds, Inc!⟣
Our Friends at RDI Diamonds, Inc. continue to show their commitment to our Families. We are so blessed to have been visited by Crystall who delivered a check representing support generated by RDI Diamonds during December and January. Thank you for keeping our Families in your hearts and inspiring our Community to support one another.
Please give a hand for our Volunteer of the Month….
Maya Indelicato
C.U.R.E. has been so fortunate to have Maya Indelicato volunteer with us over the past several years. Just in the past year, we have had Maya at our Survivors’ Day Picnic, Recipe for a C.U.R.E. Sunday Brunch, Holiday Party and Ice Cream for Breakfast Ice Cream Social. When we are in need of extra hands, Maya rallies friends to join us and help out. Maya’s leadership skills were on display at the Recipe for a C.U.R.E. Sunday Brunch, where she was an integral part of the dining room team.
Thank you, Maya, for your passion of helping us support our Families and for rallying the troops to come, too!
Help coordinate your favorite events!
We are looking for volunteers to join committees for both our Golf Tournament and the Sunday Brunch! The Golf Tournament consists of participants from various backgrounds that help organize, solicit donations & sponsors, and work closely with the events coordinator on day of details.
The Sunday Brunch has multiple committees you can join based on your interests: PR & Marketing Committee, Live Auction Committee, Registration Committee and the Dining Room Committee (the last two must be able to volunteer the day of).
Please click the buttons below if you are interested!
Volunteers Needed!
Please consider joining A.P. Enterprises Property Services with their 8th Annual Easter Egg Hunt. They need assistance with various things leading up to the event and during the event. Click the link below to learn about volunteer opportunities.
Join our Board of Directors!
We have some Board positions opening in the very near future! Interested in applying?
The Board meets monthly for 1.5 - 2 hours (Currently the third Wednesday evening of the month from 5:30 - 7:30)
Board members must attend two of the three main fundraisers (5k & Fun Walk, Golf Tournament, Brunch)
Board members are on at least one sub-committee
Board members make a monetary donation for the Board sponsored Live Auction package for the Brunch
Applications can be emailed to:
cureboardapplications@gmail.com
We want to connect!
If you served on the Board of Directors for C.U.R.E. Childhood Cancer Association, we would love to stay connected! Please email Holly Dutcher to connect!
holly.dutcher@curekidscancer.com
Are you a business who wants to partner with us?
We also have partnerships available for each event. Please click the button below to chat with Sammi Jo and learn more!
Have YOU signed up yet? Don’t miss out on one of our biggest events of the year! Here are the many ways you can participate this year:
Options to walk or run for adults & children of all ages!
Create a team and start fundraising! The site makes it easy to link your Facebook so that others can join your team and donate
Team t-shirts are available for customization again! You can invite others to join your team and purchase matching shirts, link is on the 5k website.
Warrior walkway signs are available for purchase and are a great way to honor or remember your kiddo as you finish the race strong
There will be prizes for C.U.R.E. Champions who raise $50+, $100+, $250+, $500+, $1,000+, $2,500+ and $5,000+! Stay tuned to our social media as we roll these out in March
Various activities will be available following the race, fun for the whole family!
It’s Beanie Szn!
Keep your head warm and your heart full this season with our EXCLUSIVE Love Your Melon + C.U.R.E. Beanies. One beanie is given to a child battling or who has battled cancer for every one that is purchased. Even better? Funds from purchased merch help further our mission and help us support local Families battling.
These make AMAZING holiday gifts as well. We hope you’ll keep us in mind this gift-giving season!
Easter Egg Hunt
The Annual Easter Egg Hunt hosted by A.P. Enterprises Property Services is back: Saturday, March 30th at The Lakefront Lodge in Webster Park.
This event is FREE for C.U.R.E. Kiddos and their immediate family members. Please contact Holly for your discount code. YOU MUST RSVP AHEAD OF TIME.
The event is open to the public for $5/person (a small surcharge will be applied to tickets purchased ahead of time, but the proceeds from pre-purchased tickets comes directly to C.U.R.E.).
There will be food to purchase from local food truck vendors as well as raffle tickets to win some awesome prizes!
We will also need volunteers for the event. Stay tuned for more info!
Million Penny Drive
Do you want to join forces with C.U.R.E. and participate in our Annual Penny Drive? We make it easy! We can decorate and deliver jugs for your to facilitate your collections. We will also pick up your donations. No change rolling or counting required! Contact our office if your school or business would like to participate!
It makes cents.
Become a C.U.R.E. Ambassador!
The Support Doesn’t Stop When Treatment Stops…
Because of YOU and your kindness.
Support our mission year-round by becoming a C.U.R.E. Ambassador! A C.U.R.E. Ambassador is a donor who commits to our mission through a monthly donation of his/her choosing. Whatever level you are comfortable with makes a difference!
Round Up for C.U.R.E.!
We are thrilled to share that we are now part of the Walmart Spark Good program! You can select “C.U.R.E. Childhood Cancer Association” as your charity of choice and round up your purchases! The rounded up change will be donated to C.U.R.E.!
STEP 1: Visit walmart.com/sparkgood and sign in to your Walmart.com account.
STEP 2: Search for a favorite charity.
STEP 3: Once you choose a charity, go to the Round Up box and click "Select this Charity"
STEP 4: Review the FAQs and the Terms of Use.
C.U.R.E. Partners:
You can now return your cans and bottles to Alpco Recycling and Bottle & Can Retrieval Centers! Let them know you’d like to support “C.U.R.E. Childhood Cancer Association” and a donation will be made to us!
Alpco Recycling is located at:
846 Macedon Center Road, Macedon, NY 14502
Bottle & Can Retrieval Centers located at:
509 Spencerport Rd, Rochester
2199 East Henrietta Rd, Rochester
2374 Chili Ave, Rochester
More ways to help:
Hailey and her Family have been saving aluminum can tabs for C.U.R.E. for many years now. The photo is Hailey standing in an oil drum of tabs surrounded by 14 oil drums FILLED with can tabs! They bring the drums to the scrap yard and then donate the proceeds to C.U.R.E. Those proceeds are then applied to the cost of parking vouchers for our Families.
You can bring your can tabs to our office at 200 Westfall Road, 14620 during business hours and we will collect them for Hailey and her Family.
We hope you think of Hailey and her program while you are at family gatherings, picnics and other fun summer activities this summer that may include aluminum cans!
Rock C.U.R.E. Elite Sport Socks!
These super comfortable and supportive sport socks are HERE! What a great way to show support for C.U.R.E. and small businesses, they are made in the USA! Rock them while you are working from home or out exercising. Sandal season is over, rock these cozy socks today!
C.U.R.E. has joined the PayPal Giving Fund. Please consider adding us to your account to Shop, Donate and Raise Awareness for our families.
PayPal Giving Fund expands our fundraising reach through direct integration with PayPal, eBay and GoFundMe.
Bereavement Group
The March Bereavement Group will be held at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, March 6th. The group will meet at the C.U.R.E. office at 200 Westfall Rd, Rochester.
No RSVP is necessary.
Please reach out to Michelle Magin at
michelle.magin@curekidscancer.com with any questions.
April Bereavement Meeting Info:
We would like to schedule a Paint Night Out for our Bereaved Parents for Wednesday, April 3rd. We need a minimum of 8 parents to sign up in order to facilitate the Paint Night. If you’re a Bereaved Parent or Caregiver and would like to sign up for a nigh tout connecting with other parents, please click the button below to chat with Carol, our Program Coordinator:
Did you know? For children who have experienced the death of a sibling from childhood cancer, SuperSibs offers additional mailings through the Grief and Loss Mailing Program.
This program includes...
💛 Grief support and resources specifically for parents
💛 4 mailings per year for two years with activities designed to help SuperSibs to cope with their grief and feelings
💛 A special remembrance on the anniversary of their sibling’s passing
Learn more about this free program for siblings:
Click Here To Check it Out
We are so grateful to the community for all of the wonderful donations we receive throughout the year. We could not service all the families we do without this generous support. If you or a community group you belong to is looking for something to do for a charity, please consider donating items from C.U.R.E.’s wish list so that we can continue to provide for our families:
A cure for childhood cancer, blood diseases and brain tumors!
- SQUISHMALLOWS! ALL SIZES! The kids love them!
- Universal phone chargers with long cords
- Journals for Kids and Teens
- Gift cards for Wegmans, Tops, Wal-Mart, Target and gas cards
- Gift cards for GrubHub, McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King, Moe’s, Chipotle, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks
- Crafts for young adults and children
- Items for teens or young adults
- Toys (Please look at our Amazon Wish Lists:
Under $20: https://a.co/hlW4hCO
$20 - 50: https://a.co/eHiQcV2
$50+: https://a.co/bVDujCy)
We ask that all items be new and recently purchased. Thank you!