Late Summer 2008

"Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." Henry James

Marketing The Mission

“When giving to children with cancer, give local. Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund at Columbia University Medical Center.”

We are looking for your feedback on a Hope & Heroes “tagline” – like the one above. Examples of tag lines from other organizations are:

• Improving Life, One Breath at a Time - American Lung Association
• Grounded in tradition...Open to the Spirit - Memphis Theological Seminary

We have created a very short survey where you can vote for your favorite tagline or create your own. If we choose your idea, we’ll send you a set of iPod speakers. Keep in mind our mission is a simple one: Hope & Heroes raises funds for the Herbert Irving Child & Adolescent Oncology Center at Columbia University Medical Center for clinical care, specialized programs and research initiatives. And our goal is also simple – to be the charity of choice for children with cancer in the tri-state area.

Fiscal Year 2007-2008 - What We Raised

We are thrilled to report that Hope & Heroes collected $2.4 million dollars in donations for the Herbert Irving Child & Adolescent Oncology Center at Columbia University Medical Center. These funds support the Center’s margin of excellence in clinical care, supporting programs and research initiatives. 37% of our income was derived from events – either run by Hope & Heroes or by community organizations, families and businesses. The remaining 63% of the income was in contributions designated to our general fund or to specific programs. An amazing accomplishment that we should all be proud of - thank you.

On The Run for Integrative Therapies

	The marathon runners will be raising funds to support all of the services provided by ITPCC, including massage for our patients.

The Integrative Therapies Program for Children with Cancer, in association with the Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund and Team Continuum, is running the ING New York City Marathon! We have 20 runners raising crucial funds for the care of local children with cancer. Team Continuum is our sponsoring organization with all donations directed to Hope & Heroes/Integrative Therapies. Our team is running in memory of Taylor Matthews and in honor of Jaime Kimball. Our currently enrolled team members are: Elena Ladas, Christine Grimaldi, Eileen Stark, Alexa Weitzman, Bob & Sue Matthews, Bruce Kimball, Stephanie Staidle, Paul Buencamino, Doree Damoulakis, Anne Davy, Shelby Goodrum, Elizabeth Kassapidis & Laurie Meehan. Donate directly to one of our athletes on www.teamcontinuum.net.

Save The Date: Seventh Annual Dinner on November 6, 2008

In 2007, our honorees received a standing ovation.

Save the date: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008. We are pleased to announce our honorees for the Hope & Heroes Seventh Annual Dinner – Noel Wax, Vice President, Sports, CBS Radio and Kara Kelly, MD, Director, Integrative Therapies Program for Children with Cancer. A portion of the evening’s proceeds with benefit Dr. Kelly’s program. And more importantly, a long time donor to the program will match the amount dollar for dollar.

Our Partnership with Burger King

Our longtime partners, Burger King and the Have It Your Way Foundation, raised over $118,000 this spring with an in-store promotion benefitting Hope & Heroes. Every year, local tri-state area BK franchisees compete to be the top-selling restaurant in the campaign. For the second year in a row, John Connell and his team at Odyssey Foods, Hopelawn, NJ came in first. Thank you to all the franchisees, managers and crew members who competed on our behalf.

A Million Dollar Match!

In celebration of the Integrative Therapies Program’s 10th anniversary, a longtime donor pledged $1 million dollars to the program and then issued a challenge: they will give an additional $1 million if the program can match the gift. Join us in raising $1 million dollars to support children with cancer. When making your donation, please let us know it’s for the “ITP Match”. Pictured are some members of the ITP staff (l to r): Elena Ladas, Christine Grimaldi, Alexa Meyer-Weitzman, Diane Rooney, Deborah Hughes 

Update: Community Events

Half Marathon - Whole Lot of Fundraising
In honor of Nico Doria (pictured at right with mom Anna), Jill Rosenthal and Lisa Rothstein ran a half marathon in Long Island and raised over $40,000! We hope it was a great experience and we hope they run again next year! 

Summer Cocktail Social
New friends at Dynamics Associates hosted their first annual summer cocktail reception in June at SLATE donating the evening’s profits of $8,000 to Hope & Heroes. Dynamics Associates has been a leader in the executive placement industry for over twenty years, specializing in the Alternative Investments and Financial Services sectors (www.dynamicsnyc.com). Special thanks to Phyllis Pei and Keith Mann who organized a great event.

Backyard Beach BBQ
Aaron Prince, Sarah Scheinfeld, Brittany Miller and Alicia Garfinkle (pictured below) hosted their friends and families at Seaside Johnnies in Rye, NY. The rain held off long enough for everyone to have food and fun!

Jammin' for Jamie
The Kimball family held their day of music and hope in Greenwich, CT, for the second year in a row. There were wonderful performances by many talented people who donated their time to draw a crowd. Thanks to generous sponsors and donors, the event has raised over $22,000!

Family Fun Day
The Corbett and Jay families of Staten Island held their second annual Family Fun Day and attracted a large crowed of families who came for the raffle, the bouncy house, the dunk tank, baseball, ice cream, pony rides and more! More than $60,000 was raised for Wilms tumor research.

Update: Staff/Program Highlights

• The Developmental Therapeutics Program led by Julia Glade Bender, MD, has received three grants: a two-year $250,000 award from Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a $100,000 grant from the Jamie Deutsch Foundation, and a $250,000 award from the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Dr. Bender’s enterprise incorporates basic, clinical, and translational research to define, assess, and adapt novel therapeutic targets for childhood cancers.
• The Department of Pediatrics has selected Maria Luisa Sulis, MD as a member of the John M. Driscoll Jr., MD Children’s Fund. The fund supports especially promising junior faculty. Dr. Sulis will pinpoint new oncological events responsible for the development of T-cell leukemia.
• Kara Kelly, MD and Manuela Orjuela, MD have been awarded a $150,000 grant by the American Institute of Cancer Research to study the effects of dietary folate intake and treatment-related toxicity on children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Macy’s – SHOP FOR A CAUSE

A $5.00 donation gets you a pass to shop at Macy's on Saturday, September 20, 2008 - and enjoy one day savings for up to 20%. If you open a Macy’s account, you get another 20% off. To get a pass or help us sell them, please contact Heather Maloney at 212.305.1420 or hm2178@columbia.edu.

Patient Corner

Brianna Commerford (10 years old) was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in October 2007. She recently finished treatments at the Herbert Irving Child & Adolescent Oncology Center. We are honored to publish her poem. Here’s hoping she gets that pony!

I have CANCER and I really DON'T like it
The chemo is GROSS, But I'm STRONG and can fight it.
I lost my hair- that was a BUMMER,
HOPEFULLY it will grow back by the summer.
And with all the MEDICINE to take,
I get nauseous, tired and a tummy ache.
But when I'm feeling GOOD I go out,
When I'm sick and my counts are low I stay home without a doubt.
And when I'm better I'm getting a PONY, That's for sure,
I'll get him as soon as I get a CURE!!!!