Personal Profiles
Tykes, bikes, and bats: children's fundraisers take swing at cancer
Clockwise from top left: Jenny Santos, Henry Marks, Brian Santos, and Philip Marks raised $57.13 with their neighborhood lemonade stand.
The shouts of a petite 10-year-old girl bounced off the walls of neighboring houses, winding through bushes and car windows and ultimately reaching the ears of passersby and neighbors. As Ellie Breslis traveled up and down her Cambridge street advertising her lemonade stand, listeners were attracted not only by her determination and youthful charm, but also by the cause she was pledging to assist through her sales: the fight against cancer.
With her grandmother, Mary (Molly) Flender, battling small cell cancer at Dana-Farber, Ellie had decided to help raise money to support Dana-Farber's research and treatment programs. Her efforts brought in $39.51 for Dana-Farber, which she gave in nickels and dimes to Mrs. Flender's doctor, Mary Buss, MD.
"Sometimes you feel helpless when someone you care about is dealing with cancer," says Morgan Baker Breslis, Ellie's mother. "It can be overwhelming, but participating in fundraisers makes you feel more in control. It's important for kids to do something concrete to act on their feelings."
Adds Ellie: "The lemonade stand made me feel like I helped my grandmother and others who are sick. I think it also helps the patients' relatives, because they know that their family members are getting help. It can relax them."
As children across the region similarly dedicate themselves to Dana-Farber's mission, fundraisers organized by or involving youngsters are growing in number and scope. In an ever-widening grassroots campaign, such events have sprouted up across the region, ranging from Little League games to dance-a-thons to coin donations. In backyards, playgrounds, and during bike rides, kids of all ages have raised millions over the last 10 years.
What their efforts lack in big-budget promotions, they make up for with their enthusiasm and creativity.
"There is nothing more heartwarming than to see children helping children," says Mike Andrews, chairman of the Jimmy Fund. "Fundraising for those less fortunate builds tremendous character in these kids and inspires us all to try to do more.
Kids' Pan-Mass. Challenge Rides like this one have collected more than $160,000 for Dana-Farber.
In one of the largest fundraisers of this type for Dana-Farber, youths aged 3 to 17 take part in the Kids' Pan-Mass. Challenge (PMC) Rides. These began in 1998 as the brainchild of the Wilkinson family of Medfield, Mass., after their son Ryan, whose grandmother was battling cancer at the time, decided he wanted to participate in the PMC. Since he was only 8 years old and too young for the cross-state ride, Ryan's family decided to organize one for him and his peers. The effort has since expanded to include 13 separate rides, which since their inception have raised more than $160,000 – nearly half of it this year alone.
"So many families experience a loss due to cancer," says Regina Wilkinson, Ryan's mom. "For a child to hold onto those handlebars and feel like he or she is doing something to help is empowering. So many things are decided for children when they're young – it's great for them to get the opportunity to make a choice to do something positive."
From hardball to hopping
In a similar effort, children across the region participate in the Jimmy Fund Little League Program, which offers baseball and softball players a chance to improve their skills while raising money for the cause. This program, which started in 1987 and lasts from mid-July to mid-August each year, has garnered more than $1.5 million overall; in 2004 alone, almost 5,000 players swung for more than $240,000.
While events such as this and the PMC Kids' Rides have grown into large, organized fundraisers, countless smaller, independent efforts involving children occur yearly as well.
Children from the Little Angels Day Care/Nursery in Tyngsboro, Mass., participate annually in the Little Angels Hop-a-Thon, an event that has raised $23,000-plus over the last three years. A high school student at Suffield Academy planned a dance-a-thon in February to raise funds in honor of a school staff member suffering from cancer.
Bar and Bat Mitzvah students are also getting into the act, with one girl crafting and selling colorful ribbon belts to support colon cancer research at Dana-Farber. Through everything from fishing tournaments to toy collections to 5-K runs, kids are bringing fundraising and Dana-Farber to the next generation.
"For more than 50 years," says Jimmy Fund Director Suzanne Fountain, "kids have been collecting money for the Jimmy Fund through programs like Little League, and we consider it a wonderful tradition that continues today. In addition, programs like these are a great way to teach kids the importance of philanthropy."
— Julie Fogarty
