Berry's Blooms
$25,000 raised for the Pancreatic Cancer Community Access and Treatment Research Fund
Teri and Robert Berry of Berry’s Blooms, a family-run flower farm in Medina, Ohio, had planned to host a dinner in their sunflower field in August 2020 to raise funds for pancreatic cancer research at the OSUCCC – James, but those plans had to be put on hold due to COVID-19. “The pandemic didn’t stop cancer, and it didn’t diminish our passion to raise funds and awareness for pancreatic cancer research at The James,” the Berrys say. So when they had to delay their Evening in the Sunflower Field dinner until Aug. 21, 2021, they brainstormed how they could safely reach out to the community to help fund cancer research and community access to the OSUCCC – James. “We know flowers bring so much joy to people, so we used our flower farm as a springboard to start the fund in 2020. We hosted several pop-up events at the farm in which 100% of our flower sales went to the fund.” Through the ingenuity of the Berrys and the generosity of their community, they have already raised $25,000 for the Pancreatic Cancer Community Access and Treatment Research Fund, and they are looking forward to hosting their dinner this summer.
Raise a Racket
More than $7,000 raised for The Diane Crawford Cervical Cancer Research, Education and Outreach Fund
The 9th Annual Raise A Racket event was placed on hold because of COVID-19, but it didn’t stop the group from raising awareness and funds to end human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers. Instead, the group hosted an online auction on Jan. 23. The organizers were pleasantly surprised by the turnout for this first-time auction. They were able to over 57 packages donated by 29 individuals/businesses, and 63 bidding participants raised over $7,000.
The group is looking forward to hosting its annual tennis fundraiser on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022.
Buckeye Cruise for Cancer Virtual Cruise Week
More than $41,000 raised for the Urban and Shelley Meyer Fund for Cancer Research
The Buckeye Cruise for Cancer couldn’t hold its annual sailing excursion last February because of the pandemic, but event organizers didn’t let the week go by without having fun and raising funds for cancer research. During the week in which the 14th annual Buckeye Cruise would have been held (Feb. 21-26), the cruise team hosted five days of virtual events on its Facebook page, including silent auctions and ra es, hot wing-eating contests, surprise lunch deliveries from sponsors Roosters and Papa John’s, trivia and cornhole contests, and an end-of-the-week live-streamed horse race featuring Buckeye Cruise staff, friends and Buckeye greats as celebrity jockeys. The week gave Buckeye Cruise for Cancer supporters a chance to spend time together from a distance and raised more than $41,000 for the Urban and Shelley Meyer Fund for Cancer Research.
Tee It Off for Brain Tumors
More than $30,000 raised for the Surgical Neuro Oncology Research Fund
Tee It Off for Brain Tumors was created in 2019 by Kevin Farrell. In association with the Rock and Roll Over Brain Cancer event, the group hosted its second annual golf outing at the Golf Club of Dublin in October. All proceeds from this outing go directly to the Surgical Neuro Oncology Research Fund, which supports clinical care, education and research in the area of surgical neuro-oncology for the treatment of brain tumors. Farrell was diagnosed with a brain tumor in March 2015 at Chalmers P. Wylie Ambulatory Care Center (Veterans Association Center in Columbus, Ohio) and chose to be treated at the OSUCCC – James. Three surgeries and 45 days later, Farrell was released from the hospital. He is grateful for the care he received from Russell Lonser, MD, chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at Ohio State; Aaron Moberly, MD, of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery; and their teams, residents, nurses, nursing assistants and so many others.