Bowl for a Cure Raises $10,678.27 This Year
The Second Annual Bowl for a Cure for the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research, held on April 14 at Sequoia Pro Bowl, was another strike-out event. The afternoon’s festivities included two waves of bowling (due to the event’s successful turnout last year), along with raffles, silent auction items and prizes. Volunteers also held a bake sale with pink ribbon cookies and treats for their supporters to enjoy. Chris Weatherman created this unique event in 2011 as a Christmas gift after his wife Paula was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2010. Since then, Chris, his family and loyal supporters continue to dedicate their time to making Bowl for a Cure bigger with each year and to date have raised over $18,000 for the Spielman Fund.
I Am Strong for Jodi Walk!
The power of a community pulling together was proudly demonstrated this summer by a local Upper Arlington neighborhood. With just 10 days of planning, the “I am Strong for Jodi Walk” was created and held on Saturday, May 19. Jodi Aufdencamp’s neighbors and friends raised over $3,200 for the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research and more than 150 people participated in the walk. The walk started at Jodi’s front door, circled the neighborhood and concluded with a potluck and celebration of Aufdencamp’s fight. “I am Strong” T-shirts were made that even furry four-legged friends were seen sporting. Pink balloons, decorations and pink desserts were seen throughout the neighborhood in a day to celebrate Jodi. Jodi’s fight ended in August, but the support from her community had a meaningful impact on her and her family.
Taxes + H & R Block = $13,225 for the Spielman Fund
H & R Block’s Nonprofit Referral Program was created to help nonprofit organizations raise money while offering customers tax preparation services. This year, H & R Block partnered with the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research, and thanks to our community, we became the company’s number one Nonprofit Referral program in the country. The program gave a $25 donation to the Fund for every new client referred through the partnership.
The Celebration Continues
Each year while Stefanie “continued to fight and continued to live,” she brought friends and families together to pause for a moment to reflect on how special life was. They celebrated another year of life with food, music and backyard fun. That is how Stef’s Celebrate Life Tailgate began. The party today builds on that foundation and encompasses all of Stef’s passions: family, breast cancer fundraising, serving others and Ohio State football.
“Although Stef lost her battle, she has passed the torch to us all to continue to fight for a cure. What better way to come together as a community to celebrate life than to spend an evening with our family and move a step closer to creating a cancer-free world—all while cheering the Buckeyes on to another victory!” says Sue Fitz, Stefanie’s sister. In its first year, Stef’s Celebrate Life Tailgate raised over $24,000 for the cause, but we still have a long way to go. The second annual event was held on Saturday, September 29. Together we will honor our commitment to find a cure for this devastating disease. For more information, visit www.stefscelebratelifetailgate.org.
Great Music, Great Cause, Wild Lights and $65,000
Congratulations to “A Christmas to Cure Cancer,” which celebrated its 10th anniversary at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on December 2, 2011. Since its inception, the annual concert has raised over $330,000 for the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research and The James! Over the years, this premiere concert event has featured musical artists including Emerson Drive, the Jonalee White Trio, the Hot Pink Racers, Mike Albert, Dave Clo and Mark Puskarich’s (founder) own band, Aereon. Guests at the 2011 event enjoyed a night of live music, hors d’oeuvres, an incredible live and silent auction and speakers including Dr. Michael Caligiuri, Jack Hanna, Angela An and Miss Ohio, Ellen Bryan. Mark your calendars for this year’s event, which will be held on November 30 at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. For more information, visit www.achristmastocurecancer.org.
A New Era of Ohio State Football Has Begun – the Urban Meyer Era!
To celebrate Ohio State University football and give our female fans a behind-the-scenes look at the game, Coach Meyer brought a new event to the University. The First Annual Ohio State Women’s Football Clinic was held on June 9 at the Wexner Football Complex—Woody Hayes Athletic Center. The event provided more than 800 female participants with first-hand football experiences including; quick cal drills, Football 101 for offense, defense and special teams and running drills – they even had the opportunity to hit the sled! It was a fun and exciting day spent with the coaching staff and their wives. Proceeds from the clinic benefited the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research.
Mac Tools – Wrenching Toward a Cure
Another impressive first-year effort was given by Mac Tools when they created their sales campaign aimed at raising money to support the Spielman Fund. Through the sales of their apparel line and pink tool boxes, they have raised over $16,400! Mac Tools will again be partnering with the Spielman Fund and has recently expanded their pink product lines, now offering customers items including flashlights, mugs and beanies.