Friday, May 9, 2008

RELAY FOR LIFE UPDATE...41 LUMINARIAS!!!!

Yes, that number is right. We have quite a few others that have expressed an interest also, just waiting for their emails. We've changed our goal to 100, ha ha! We're so thankful to all of you that have purchased a luminaria bag. I had to call and get some more bags, they are being delivered tomorrow.

Hannah has been anxious to get to work on the bags. She started last night. Here she is with her first two bags, Uncle Victor and Aunt Susie. Don't they look great! We're going to work on them this weekend also as a family (yes Dave). We're looking forward to our trip to the Lion King tomorrow in the limo too. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to share after that. Besides the lacrosse game on Sunday, that's what we have planned for the weekend. We'll see if Colby is up to the game on Sunday, she was home again today from school sick.

Now for some

FANTASTICALLY EXCITING news:
The total is in for the Pine School Hats on for Cancer fundraiser. They raised a total of $500!

Isn't that awesome? Here is a picture of Colby, Hannah and Anna at Pine School with some posters that Anna's student council made. They should all be so proud of what they accomplished and how they will be helping so many kids with cancer. I know we're so proud of them. A very heartfelt thank you to Anna Reyes and her mom Mylese who were the organizers of the event. Their family has been so involved from the beginning with Hannah. One thing that is generally known and discussed frequently in the pediatric cancer world is the surprising way that friends and family react when your child is diagnosed with cancer. Some people that you have been very good friends with shy away from you and you drift apart. It's not that they don't want to be friends anymore, it's usually that they don't know what to say or how to react. But, on the other side of that coin is how the others react-with so much support and love. People that we didn't know that well before have become some of our most cherished friends now. Mylese is definitely in this category. I went to high school with her, and though we weren't really in the same circles, we knew each other as distant friends. I never spoke to her after school until our 10 year reunion that she and I worked together on (which was a lot of fun, and a long time ago.) She has now become someone so special to us. She and her family always encourage us through the blog. They have sent many things to us, including gifts for Hannah, gift certificates to our family, and lots of love. Now this....we can't put into words how much it means to us for you to have come up with this idea, then implemented it at your school, then also put in your own matching gifts, then challenged our elementary school, and raised $500 for Hannah's Cans for Cancer program. Simply wonderful people, don't you all agree? THANK YOU!!!

Did you catch that part about the challenge for Hannah's school? Yes-another good idea from Anna and her mom. they challenged our school to see if they could match or beat that $500 amount. Anna sent an email to the teacher in charge of the student council at Cutchogue East Elementary school and our school is in! Not only that, but they are doing the fund raiser on June 6th, Hannah's birthday. The way it worked at Pine School was that they sold stickers to students for 50 cents. The students that purchased the stickers could then wear their hat to school on the designated day. Hats are usually prohibited during school, so it's something fun for the kids, while at the same time raising money for other kids. I think our school is selling the tickets for $1.00 each, so they will have to raise at least $1,000 to tie with Pine School. Of course it's all in good fun, our school has over 800 students while Pine only has just about 200. I just loved in Anna's email to our teacher when she said "Good luck, and since the goal is to raise money for kids fighting cancer, we hope you beat us!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Isn't that great? By the way, did I mention that Anna is in 5th grade? Destined for great things in her future, that's for sure.

Cutchogue East has invited Hannah to come and speak at their student council meeting next week to get them fired up and talk to them about the fundraiser. We're looking forward to it! Challenge ON Anna!!!

xoxo Kim