Jersey Mike’s raised more than $28,000 during March to benefit the Spielman Fund through their Month of Giving campaign. Throughout March, customers could make donations at the register at 14 central Ohio Jersey Mike’s locations. On March 27, 100% of the proceeds from lunch were donated to the Spielman Fund. Jersey Mike’s continued their support by donating boxed lunches to two other Community Partner golf outings supporting the OSUCCC – James.
Bowl for the Cure celebrated its 3rd annual bowling event to strike out breast cancer in April at Sequoia Pro Bowl. The event featured two days of bowling by 135 teams to benefit the Spielman Fund. Organizers Chris and Paula Weatherman started the event in 2011 after Paula was diagnosed with breast cancer. They had both been in the bowling business for 21 years and knew they could bring a large group together to have fun and raise money for the Spielman Fund. This year they had teams from West Virginia, Indiana, Cleveland, Dayton, Ashland and all of the communities surrounding Columbus. This year’s event brought the three-year fundraising total to more than $30,000.
Congratulations to Buckeyes for a Cure cofounders Jonathan Cochran and Alexander Bork for creating the world’s largest buckeye necklace and raising $20,000 to support the Spielman Fund. “It’s hard to believe the final stages of our four-year project are coming to an end. Seeing the reaction to our program from those affected by breast cancer has been very enriching,” says Jonathan Cochran. The group assembled 16,000 buckeyes in a uniquely designed “Block O” display case that is currently housed at the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center. Each buckeye is individually numbered and linked to a supporter’s name.
What began as a simple T-shirt sale idea by local firefighters to raise funds for breast cancer research has now grown into Tiffin, Ohio’s largest 5K race. The 2nd Annual Tiffin Firefighters 5K & Fun Run was held on Sept. 29. Last year’s inaugural event welcomed more than 350 participants and raised more than $9,700 for the Spielman Fund. “We chose the Spielman Fund because we wanted the money we raise to stay in Ohio and be used for breast cancer research. The Spielman Fund has a great reputation for responsibly using the money raised and the benefits of its work are easy to see here at home,” says Rob Chappell, Tiffin Firefighter and Event Organizer. In August, they hosted a Cancer Center Charity Dinner as well with a portion supporting the Spielman Fund.
The 2nd Annual Courage, Conquer & Cure 5K will be held on Oct. 5 in historic downtown Canal Winchester and led by breast cancer survivors and race creators Jodi Brown and Angie Abel. The two ladies quickly decided they wanted to work together to give back, make a difference and find a cure by organizing a 5K race to benefit the Spielman Fund. Their first year was an overwhelming success, resulting in 800 participants and raising more than $22,000.
Stef’s Celebrate Life Tailgate continues to carry on Stefanie’s passions of family, breast cancer fundraising, serving others and Ohio State football. The event celebrated its third year anniversary on Sept. 14 by welcoming family, friends and supporters to an Upper Arlington neighborhood party. The annual tailgate hosts guests for a day of food, music, football and fun while honoring Stefanie’s commitment to finding a cure for this devastating disease. Through the efforts of the Celebrate Life Tailgate committee members and their supporters, more than $156,400 has been raised for a Digital Tomosynthesis machine through the Stefanie Spielman Technology Fund. This machine allows for a 3D view of breast tissue and is critical for those seeking the latest advancements in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. For more information, please visit stefscelebratelifetailgate.org.
Mad River Mountain’s Pretty in Pink event held this year on Feb. 10 at Mad River Mountain in Mansfield, Ohio, continued to fight breast cancer and conquer the slopes to support the Spielman Fund. This sixth annual co-ed race and rail jam event encouraged male and female skiers and riders to participate in a fun-filled day of activities including raffles, giveaways, live music and fun on-mountain events. In addition, Mad River Mountain donated $1 from every lift ticket sold that day to the Spielman Fund. Since 2008, Pretty in Pink continues to grow and has raised more than $7,900 for the Spielman Fund.
JD Equipment, a family-owned business founded in Plain City, Ohio, and Ohio’s largest John Deere equipment dealer, donates a portion of each sale of John Deere Select Series riding lawn mowers to the Spielman Fund. The effort focuses on sales of tractors in which they donate anywhere from $10 to $70 for each one sold. JD Equipment has been contributing to the Spielman Fund since 2010. For more information, please visit jdequipment.com. JD Equipment has raised $28,000 over the past year to support the Spielman Fund.
The Spielman Gridiron Classic is in its sixth football season and motivates high school students to raise money for the Spielman Fund. So far, the events have raised more than $82,000. When the season is complete, Chris Spielman hosts an assembly at the school that raises the most money to inspire students to get involved in the local community and to award a scholarship in Stefanie’s honor.
MAC Tools, a national company based in Westerville, Ohio, is continuing its efforts to raise money for the Spielman Fund this October. In 2012, MAC raised $32,000 for the Fund by selling special edition “Wrenching the Cure” toolboxes to MAC Tool Distributors, bringing the two-year donation to more than $48,000. In addition, the Spielman Fund logo is on the MAC Tool-sponsored NHRA Top Fuel Dragster running during the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals racing event in Reading, Penn., the weekend of October 3 – 6. For more information, visit mactools.com.
The 3rd Annual Step Up for Stefanie 5K/2-mile run/walk event took place on Sunday, Sept. 15, on The Ohio State University campus. This fun and family-friendly event was presented by Panera Bread and managed by M3S Sports and benefited the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at the OSUCCC – James. The race started and finished at Ohio Stadium. To learn more about the event, visit stepupforstefanie.org.
The first annual Turtles Fore Spielman golf outing was held on July 27 at the Little Turtle Golf Club and raised $45,795 for the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research. The event hosted 152 golfers and sold out three weeks prior to the event date. Chris Spielman spoke to the crowd before the dinner portion of the event. One participating family set up a lemonade stand on the 6th hole during the event and raised $202 toward the cause. The Little Turtle Poker Group raised $10,700 of the total donation and is already enthusiastically raising money for next year’s event.
In August, the All Ohio Balloon Festival raised $5,000 for the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research through their Tethered Balloon Rides. For three days, the organization offered hot air balloon rides at Union County Airport in Marysville, Ohio.