Highlighted Cause: Sterling Minsky, Baby Boy Fighting Cancer

Sterling Minsky is an amazing little boy. At the age of 7 months old, he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma. In August, he received clear scans after 6 mos of chemo under the supervision of an awesome team at Sloan Kettering in New York.

Unfortunately he was so young, they were not able to treat him with radiation and now there is a recurrence of the tumor. Sterling will be undergoing a more aggressive treatment plan starting in January 2012, which will include chemo and radiation.

Friends of Sterling’s family have dedicated themselves to doing whatever it takes to cure their baby boy and this fund will help them make that a reality. The fund’s main purpose is to defray their medical bills and to assist them with costs of traveling to and from New York for treatment.

Any amount you chose to give is greatly appreciated; every little bit helps! To donate to Sterling’s fund please visit his page at: www.fundraise.com/sterling-minksy-fund

Updated Cause: NYC Marathoner Raises over $25K with Fundraise.com - A Personal Thank You to Supporters

Dear Friends,

Well it has been over a week and I can finally say that I am officially no longer sore! I was definitely feeling it for the better part of the week. Being on a plane they day after the run was definitely brutal. However despite the soreness, the purple toenail (I think that one may be a goner) and the pure exhaustion of last week, it was all so very much worth it.

For those scoring at home I did officially finish the marathon. It took me 16,542 seconds…or 4 hours, 35 minutes and 42 seconds. My goal time was to break 4:30 so I missed that by about 5 minutes. However, I did not care as the energy and the people of NYC lifted me higher than any time goal could have- what an amazing experience!!

Once again I wanted to thank each and every one of you who donated to help my friend Dan and his family. We raised over $25,000!!!!!!!! Unbelievable! I was honored to run for this cause and was truly humbled by the outpouring of support and love that was shown by everyone. We have done a great thing for a great family that really needed our help. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

I could not have completed this journey without everyone’s support. I was buoyed even higher with the surprise support that I received along the race. For those of you that did not know, Dan and Erin (Dan’s wife) were in NYC for the big day. Erin was a woman on a mission and she along with Dan orchestrated a rally of support along the race route. There were several dozen people (friends and family) along the way that came out to support my effort. They had signs made (see pictures) along the route with different sayings of support for me:

“Hey Ken: .1% of 1% of people are doing what your are doing right now” –Dan

And my personal favorite:

“Hey Ken: “You think endurance training is tough, try chemo!”- Dan

It was uplifting to see the signs and the people that were supporting me along the way. I am still amazed at Erin’s ability to show up at different parts of the race and make herself visible—-you would swear she ran the race as well! Thank you to everyone who came out to show your support for the run- it was more helpful to me than you will ever know

Finally, believe it or not, crossing the finish line was only the second best thing to happen on this day. While I will never forget that moment for sure, the thing I will cherish forever was the moment I walked into the restaurant where 20+ people, friends and family awaited my arrival (a complete surprise to me) and cheered and clapped for me. We proceeded to celebrate for several hours after the race, and it was something I will never forget. Being able to spend that time with Dan, Erin and all those people was just awesome! Thank you to everyone that made that possible—it was a very special moment and something I will carry with me forever.

Including the marathon I have logged over 625 miles of running for this cause. I could not have done it without all of you. Thank you once again for your generosity, your love and your support. I would never have been able to cross the finish line without each and every one of you.

With much love,

Kenny

Highlighted Cause: Take it Off & Run - Speedo Run

MARK YOUR CALENDARS - TAKE IT OFF AND RUN!

For The Cause and their faithful mascot “bOOm bOOm” invite you to join them for the 3rd Annual Speedo Run For the Cause on Saturday, November 26th, 2011.

Last year over 100 runners took it off and ran while raising nearly $13,000 for the Northeast PA branch of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. They were also featured on Live! with Regis and Kelly.

Too shy to run, but don’t want to miss out on the fun? Come help them celebrate at Crickets Bar and Grille before and after the run.

ATTENTION RUNNERS

Sign-in and Registration opens at 9:00am
SPEEDO UP! at 12:50pm
Run at 1:00pm sharp

Individuals like you make a difference. Help support this cause by making a donation today at www.fundraise.com/speedorun.

Highlighted Cause: NYC Marathoner has Raised over $20K for Best Friend with Brain Cancer

Last year, at the age of 38, Dan Feldman was diagnosed with the terminal brain cancer Glioblastoma Multiforme A.K.A. “The Terminator.” While any form of cancer can be devastating, brain cancer carries its own special horrors, hardships, and challenges.

Dan is the son of two adoring parents, the brother of a supportive sister, the husband of a loving wife, and the father of 3 beautiful young children… And now with this diagnosis, Dan is also a young father battling brain cancer.

Dan’s goal is to live long enough that all of his children will be able to say, “Yeah, I remember Dad,” and have a concrete memory of him while he was still alive. Since his children are still very young - just 5 years, 3 years, and 18 months - this is a very aggressive goal.

To reach that goal, Dan needs to “thread the needle” and become one of the 3-5% of people that live more than 5 years with this disease. To achieve this, Dan has enrolled in the FDA’s clinical trial system – meaning he is a patient at the precarious leading edge of cancer treatment. So far Dan has aggressively fought his cancer with surgery, radiation, and over a year of experimental chemotherapy.

On Sunday, November 6^th, one of Dan’s best friends, Ken Goldstein, is running the NYC Marathon to raise money for the Feldman Family. “The challenge of running this distance pales in comparison to the challenge that Dan and his family have faced battling brain cancer the last 2 years,” says Ken. “That is why I am dedicating 26 miles to Dan and his family, and .2 for me.”

Dan is the bravest person I know,” continues Ken. “I have been inspired by his outlook and they way he has handled his situation. His positive can-do attitude has been something that simply leaves me in awe. I have known Dan since childhood and the cancer has not changed him. Dan is still Dan. While he has had to fight a battle that many of us can not even begin to fathom, he has remained positive and continues to live his life in a way that even the healthiest of people should be envious of.”

While Dan has led a noble fight against this horrific disease, the battle has unfortunately left him and his family in a difficult financial position. As if the physical toll extracted by the disease weren’t enough, the Feldman family must also overcome the incredible financial and emotional stresses encountered by many families afflicted by this disease.

Ken states on the page, “No amount is too little. I urge you to donate what you can. My promise to you is to run like hell. I am running for Dan, running for his kids, running for his family…. running for all people who are afflicted with this horrible disease.”

To support the Feldman Family during and after their fight please visit their page at www.fundraise.com/dan

Highlighted Cause: Help Avery Curtis!

Avery Curtis is an adorable little girl who is back in the hospital fighting Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a blood cancer that is very rare for a baby of her age.

Though she is in the hospital with 6 - 9 months of chemotherapy treatments ahead of her at Cook Children’s Hospital in Forth Worth Texas, Avery is keeping everyone’s spirits high with her smiles and laugher.

Friends and Family of Avery’s have currently raised $1,075 of the $10,000 they’ve set as their goal to help pay for Avery Curtis’ cancer treatments.

We urge to you take a moment to visit her page: https://www.fundraise.com/tag-two/avery-curtis, donate if you can, and let your friends and family know about little Avery and her determination to beat this disease.

Haymakers for Hope at $50K with Fundraise.com

On March 24^th Haymakers for Hope made their campaign live on Fundraise.com; 47 days later they have raised over $50,000 and there are still 44 days until fight night…

On June 23^rd, 20011 Haymakers for Hope, Fundraise.com and Smith & Wollensky will transform the Park Plaza Castle at Columbus Ave into a heated boxing arena to raise money to benefit Dana Farber and The Jimmy Fund; an exciting and new type of event in comparison to Boston’s typical charity party offerings.

The idea was born in the fall of 2009 when Julie Anne Kelly and Andrew Myerson embarked on the grueling training process to compete in the New York City Golden Gloves. Julie was looking to defend her title, while Andrew was trying to win his first. Somewhere in the process, the pair decided the physical, mental, and emotional test of competing against the country’s best amateur boxers wasn’t enough – they also wanted to raise money for cancer research, making the tournament an opportunity to literally fight for a cure.

Both originally from the Boston area, Julie (a cancer survivor) and Andrew approached Dana Farber and the Jimmy Fund with the idea and “Haymakers for Hope” was born. In 2009 the pair raised over $5,000 and Julie defended her title.

This year they’re scaling things up - expanding Haymakers for Hope by organizing competitive boxing events around the city of Boston and using Fundraise.com. For the June event, men and women of all developmental stages were targeted to participate with the goal of putting on a great show and raising money for charity. Fighters are matched in size, athletic ability, and skill in USA Boxing sanctioned matches for friends, family, and co-workers to see. The events are meant to be competitive but fun, with everyone walking away a winner even in a loss.

For more information on the event or to donate visit the Haymakers for Hope page on Fundraise.com: https://www.fundraise.com/haymakers-for-hope