September 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!
September is Awareness Month!
Kicking off the month with a Mobile Blood Drive at West Herr Chevrolet
Get Cheesey with us with our Liquid Gold for C.U.R.E. Challenge
NEW Garden Flags and Lawn signs
LOTS of towns and areas issuing proclamations
Be on the lookout for the flamboyances of flamingos
Spotlight on: Ayla
Meet our Friend, Ayla.
Ayla was diagnosed with A.M.L. in May of 2024. She is almost 3 years old and is the youngest of two girls. Ayla loves learning from her older sister, Everleigh. She is joyous, is very close with her older sister and loves hands on play! When she is in the hospital, she likes going for “walkies” to the playroom and to have dance parties in her room.
Congratulations, McKenzie!
We were so happy to celebrate McKenzie’s end of chemo bell ringing with her whole crew! She was joined by cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and her immediate family members. C.U.R.E. was so happy to celebrate with McKenzie by giving her some of her favorite treats: Goldfish Crackers and Albanese gummy bears! Congratulations, McKenzie! We are so happy for you!
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!
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!
Thank you, Putney Family & Neal Family!
A huge thank you to the Putney Family for coordinating and to the Neal Family for leading the way (literally, with their tractor!) for us to spread awareness of childhood cancer and sickle cell disease in the Wyoming County Fair parade. We are so honored to have been a part of these efforts and appreciate all you do to raise awareness in honor of your angels, Aurora and Byron, and all Warriors.
C.U.R.E. Family Drive-In Night
We had so much fun at the Vintage Drive-In in Avon for our Annual C.U.R.E. Drive-In movie night! We were delighted to watch “Despicable Me 4”, “Inside Out 2” and most importantly, connect with other Families. Thanks so much for coming!
September Parents’ Night Out
A great night out for C.U.R.E. Parents to enjoy a pedal tour around the City of Rochester and see some of the buildings lit up Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Parents’ Night Out is a great way to meet other C.U.R.E. Parents and enjoy an evening out. Please watch for sign up information in Program emails and the closed parent Facebook group or call Carol at the C.U.R.E. office at 585-473-0180.
Morton Family Fun Day
Morton Family Fun Day is coming again this Fall and is such a fun day for C.U.R.E. Families. Morton Baptist Church has hosted this event for many, many years for C.U.R.E. Families. This year it is Saturday, October 5th from noon until 4 p.m. Again this year will be games, prizes, a trip to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. This is such a fun event. Please watch for sign up in the Program emails or closed Facebook group. Any questions please call the office at 585-473-0180 or email carol.austin@curekidscancer.com
Thank you, Catching Dreams Fishing Charters!
Our C.U.R.E. Kids are kicking off nice weather season with some fishing! We are so grateful to Captain Ned and his team at Catching Dreams Charters, Inc. Thank you for treating our Kiddos to some fun on the water and teaching them about fishing. It can be so therapeutic and we are grateful for your compassion for our Kids. Thank you for letting us be a part of your program!
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.
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.
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 7/25/2024, THERE ARE 15,046 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.
81,091 signatures of 150,000 wanted (as of 7/25/2024)
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
Kick Off Awareness Month with our Blood Drive!
September 5th from 12 PM - 5 PM at West Herr Chevrolet (3850 West Henrietta Road, 14623).
** Please note: Appointments typically take around an hour. You will need to complete a pre-screening before you can donate.
Thank you, CURE Bears for Hope and Love!
CURE Bears for Hope and Love dropped off a truck load of backpacks filled with school supplies for the first day of school! Thank you for thinking of our C.U.R.E. kiddos & their siblings and making sure they kick off the new school year all prepped and ready to go in style!
Yeehaw! Way to go, Attica Rodeo!
We are so grateful to the Attica Rodeo for once again raising awareness for C.U.R.E. & childhood cancer!
This year, with the help of Hearts for Hailey, they raised $1,317! Your annual support means the world to us and our Families and we are so thankful for your unwavering dedication to our organization. Thank you for Keeping Tabs on Cancer with Hailey!
Thank you to the best rodeo friends around!
Thank you, Jersey Mike’s & DiMarco Group!
Our friends at Jersey Mike’s not only make great subs, but they are WONDERFUL people too! The Brighton location on S. Clinton Ave. celebrated their grand opening last month and dedicated a portion of their proceeds to C.U.R.E.! DiMarco Group was also involved in the grand opening and generously donated $1,000 towards C.U.R.E. - all in raising $2,676.33!
We are so grateful for their support and their dedication to driving awareness of our organization. Thank you Jersey Mike’s Subs + DiMarco Group!
Spa DAY, BirthDAY!
Rather than asking for birthday presents this year, Miss Anabelle asked her circle to shop off of her amazon wishlist which was filled with nail polish, facial masks, and a ton of other spa items. She and her friends assembled the items into Spa Day Kits to gift to C.U.R.E. kids like her! They had a ton of organizing them by color and making sure each was packed with love!
We are so moved by Anabelle’s thoughtfulness and wanting to share her birthday with C.U.R.E.! Thank you, Anabelle and happy birthday to you!
Please give a hand for our Volunteer of the Month….
Cat Kwiecien
Cat is an absolute POWER HOUSE in life, but especially when it comes to our annual Recipe for a C.U.R.E. Sunday Brunch. She lovingly pours herself into managing the silent auction of our event every year - starting as early as February! She meticulously reviews our mailing list, tracks where to send solicitations to, maintains a list of what has been received, diligently follows up solicitations, bundles items together into packages AND enters all the information (including clever package names and descriptions) into our database. WHEW! We got tired just writing that. All of this work is done in addition to her work as a teacher, a volunteer in the community, being a dedicated mom and wife as well as contributing and participating in other events throughout our community.
Cat, we are in awe of you. We are so blessed to know you and are grateful beyond words for all that you do.
Julie Roberts Children’s Memorial Garden Volunteer Opportunities:
Our Garden needs love this time of year and we would appreciate your help! Sign up for a week and come any day that week. Duties include weeding, pruning and cleaning around our special bricks.
Brunch Volunteer Help Needed!
Come help us at our biggest fundraiser of the year! We will need a TON of volunteer help on Sunday, September 22nd the day of the event. This includes registration and check-in, dining room set up, dining room service, silent auction duty, and clean up.
We will be at a larger venue this year which means more help is needed than ever before! If you are interested in helping, please click the button below to sign up or reach out to Sammi Jo for more information. Thank you!
Brunch Baskets Needed:
It’s time to get creative, Friends! We welcome gift baskets of all kinds for our upcoming Silent Auction. Gather your friends, create an Amazon shopping list, build the BEST basket around.
Support local businesses and purchase gift cards.
Assemble baskets of all kinds. Lottery tickets ALWAYS do well.
Alcohol baskets are great as well: margaritas, craft beer, Moscow Mules…the sky’s the limit!
We also could use golf, baking, coffee, family game night, and winter/fall themed baskets!
Kindly deliver auction items to the C.U.R.E. office by September 6th, please.
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
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!
Join us for the 16th Annual Recipe for a C.U.R.E. Sunday Brunch! There will be LOTS of yummy food prepared by our friends at the American Culinary Federation with the help of our C.U.R.E. Kiddo Chefs, the spectacular LIVE auction packages and always great company. And don’t forget the virtual silent auction, with a variety of baskets and items to bid on!
We are excited to be at a new venue this year - Arbor Midtown in Downtown Rochester and our friend from the WBEE Morning Coffee Club, Bo Jaxon is back as the emcee!
With a new location AND an amazing culinary experience, you don’t want to miss this!
Click the button below to purchase your tickets:
4th annual Hopson 5K- Give Cancer the Bird.
Run, Walk or Soar at the Hopson 5k! Located in the Hamlet of Honeoye, you will experience beautiful fall foliage throughout the entire course without the dangers of vehicle traffic.
Post race event at Birdhouse Brewery includes live music, a complementary pint of Birdhouse beer and a good time with friends and family!
This year, the Hopson 5k has chosen C.U.R.E. as their beneficiary and we are so honored!
Shopping for a Cause
Get your holiday shopping done and support local small business owners! There will be several local vendors with handmade items as well as other items for sale!
Sunday, November 17th from 10 AM - 3 PM
Italian American Community Center
33rd Annual Race With Grace 5k & 10k
Join us again this Thanksgiving morning for the annual Race with Grace 5k or 10k! New this year, the 10k race is recognized as one of the races in the Rochester Runner of the Year series. All proceeds, once race expenses are deducted, go to support C.U.R.E. Childhood Cancer Association.
Date: Thursday, November 28th
Time: 8:30 am
Location: Lakeshore Community Church
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!
Embrace the Difference
Did you know that we partner with Reeds Jewelers on their Embrace the Difference campaign? With Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Graduations coming up, we hope you’ll consider grabbing a gift from Reeds Jewelers Embrace the Difference Collection and make a difference to our Families (all while giving a beautiful gift!).
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 September Bereavement Group will be a night out at Frontier Field for a Red Wings game at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, September 18th.
Please reach out to Diane Valentine at diane.valentine@curekidscancer.com or call Diane at
(585) 697-4470 to RSVP no later than September 4th.
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!