Friends of Heroes &#8211; National Light The Night Team

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Our Fifth Season as a Team

August 15th, 2008 | 37 Comments | Posted in Announcements/News, Blogging for Blood Cancer, Team Captains, Team Tidbits

Thank you for stopping by day 5 of Blogging for Blood Cancer. Today’s prize is 5 sets of vinyl wall decals (value=$48.00) courtesy of Stakersensations. Yesterday’s winner was commenter # 25 – Nikki! She knew that FOH and its Affiliate teams have raised over $958,241 in four seasons!

To qualify to win, leave a comment with an answer to the question after reading the post.

Five years ago, we all started because of a blue eyed baby girl named Allie. Five years later we are still here and going strong, in fact each year we grow stronger. Friends of Heroes has become a big part of each of our lives, and we are still making a huge difference each year. Five years from now we all share the same hope that there will be no need for us, because we will have a cure.

Friends of Heroes, formerly Friends of Allie and Allie’s Angels, is the largest national Friends and Family Light The Night team in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s history. The team was originally created to honor Allie Scott, an 8 month old baby from Allen, TX who passed away from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in September 2004. You can read more about the inspiration for Friends of Heroes (here).

Since then, Friends of Heroes has grown dramatically in both size and focus. The team not only retains a core group of over 600 registered walkers, but also welcomes several affiliate teams across the country. In the 2007 Light The Night season, Friends of Heroes had a team presence at 60 walksites and raised a $114,000 dollars in the fight against blood cancers.

Friends of Heroes and affiliates actively fundraise for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, with a passion and focus towards eradicating pediatric blood cancers. We strive to incorporate honored children at each walksite – local children who are either currently undergoing treatment or in remission from any blood cancer.

The Friends of Heroes Light The Night team is overseen by national team leaders, volunteers who oversee fundraising and team organization, as well as a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Friends and Family national manager. We always welcome new volunteers, and encourage you to contact any of the team leaders for more information on how to get involved in our mission.

Our Mission Statement

As Friends of Heroes, we are a volunteer organization whose purpose is:

To raise money toward pediatric blood cancer research and patient services through Light The Night walks.
To make a positive difference in the lives of families affected by pediatric cancer.
To invoke awareness in our local communities of the need for cancer research.
To build an international network of individuals and teams who share our passion and goal to raise money for an awareness of pediatric blood cancer.

Five years later…………………

Reflecting back over my years with Friends of Heroes and doing the Light the Night walks my first thought goes to the children and their families. How their world must have been turned upside down to find out that someone they loved was diagnosed with Leukemia/Lymphoma. My second thought goes to what if that would happen to my son or daughter wouldn’t I hope that people would do the same as I’m doing which is VOLUNTEERING my time to make the difference in someone else’s life.
If you’ve never walked in the Light the Night before let me tell you it’s a wonderful experience and you should really consider doing one. It’s a night that people get together to honor and remember those who have or are battling this awful disease. Seeing the crowds of people and the balloons flickering as the sun goes down and at our walk in St. Louis we see the sidewalk towards of the end of the walk we see candles inside bags lining the walkway of the people we just walked in honor or in memory of. It’s an experience that keeps bringing me back year after year.
Kathie Team Captain relations

“Friends of Heroes is a part of my life. After meeting several cancer heroes, it makes me want to work HARDER to find a cure. I really hope that in 5 years, Friends of Heroes will not be here, BECAUSE there is a cure for blood cancers!”
Beck Social Networks Coordinator

Why am I still walking five years later…Because mother’s are still losing their children to this horrible disease. No child should have to fight for their lives. They should be enjoying being a child. No mother should have to watch as their child suffers from this devastating disease wondering if they will make it to their next birthday. Until every child is cured or even better blood cancer is preventable, I still have a job to do and my job is to help raise funds and awareness for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and their critical mission. I hope you will all join me in this important fight.
Lois National Co-Captain

Five years later, I am still involved with Friends Of Heroes and Light the Night because, I truly believe that we will find a cure in my life time. These children are our future, and I want no other child to loose their life to this horrible disease. I believe that Friends of Heroes can and is making a huge difference in the fight against cancer. We will keep making a difference and I will always be involved in that until we have no more cancer to raise funds and awareness about and for.
Christy Blog

Hope. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) provides hope to thousands of blood cancer patients each year because of research funded through events like Light The Night.

Five years ago, the five-year survival rate for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, was only 55%. Today the five-year survival rate is 90.5%. Patients are living longer, better lives!

I am extremely hopeful that in another five years we will see incredible advancements toward a cure, but there is still so much work to be done! Acute myeloid leukemia is still around 50% survival. Those odds need to improve! Families shouldn’t have to lose their precious ones to this devastating disease.

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” – Denis Waitley

Please join us to make a difference!
Jenn National Co-Captain

Enter to win today’s prize
5 sets of vinyl wall decals (value=$48.00) courtesy of Stakersensations
How many registered walkers did FOH have in 2007? Hint: You will find the answer is in this post. Wink, wink.]
You’ll also be entered for our grand prize to be drawn Monday for a $900 Timberland and Lacoste product assortment, courtesy of Samsonite. (Comments are moderated.)
Make sure to stop back all week for more information and even more chances to win!

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Tags: Blogging, Blogging for Blood Cancer, Blood Cancer, cancer, FOH, Friends of Heroes, Light The Night, LLS

Light The Night Team Totals – 10/30/07

October 30th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in Announcements/News, Light The Night, Team Tidbits

Total Walkers 561
Team Captains 75
Affiliate Teams 21

Amount Raised YTD $84,646

Total Amount Raised $928,967

(This total does not include offline money or Light The Night walks from this weekend.)

Thank you to our dedicated team members and affiliate teams!

Current Affiliate Teams
AL Dothan Wesley’s Journey
AZ Phoenix The Shrinking Violets
AZ Phoenix Team Matthew
AZ Tucson PAC Attack
CA Fresno For The Love of Caleb
CA Fresno Karah’s Angels
CA Fresno Glowing Girls
CA Fresno Gustafson’s Gang
CA Los Angeles Courtney’s Angels
CA Santa Rosa Jackson’s All-Stars
CA Santa Rosa Ladies in Pink
CA Santa Rosa Yokayo Biofuels
FL Seminole Raymond James
FL Tampa Team Logan
IN Chesterton Tyler’s Tigers
NV Reno St. Mary’s Reno
NY Bear Mountain Team Clark
TX Corinth Ethan’s our Hero
WI Milwaukee Team Baby Vaughn
WI Milwaukee Marco Galicia
WI Delavan Team Reyes

To find out how to become an affiliate and help us with a pediatric cancer research grant naming, visit www.friendsofheroes.org/affiliates.shtml or email Kim at affiliates@friendsofheroes.org.

We would love to include you in this incredible opportunity to honor a cancer hero and to one day, save lives!

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Friends of Heroes Team Tidbits – September

September 1st, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in Team Tidbits

Alison B., Chester County Team Captain, organized a “100 Mile Dash” with a Team in Training runner and together they raised $220 (22 entrants at a $10 joiner fee each) and a lot of awareness for Friends of Heroes and LLS. Entrants, members of an online parenting forum, were encouraged to move themselves 100 miles in 100 days using their own personal steam. Participants were eligible for prizes and a drawing for a $30 Target gift card.

Jen C., Team Captain of Santa Rosa, CA, set up an Awareness Booth at SolFest, a 2-day festival promoting sustainable living through inspirational environmental education. She encouraged people to participate in Light The Night and raised $80 with her corporate affiliate team Yokayo Biofuels. As a fundraiser, Yokayo Biofuels will also raffle 50 gallons of biofuel. If all 200 tickets sell, it will raise $2,000 to be split between Yokayo Biofuels and Friends of Heroes.

Kathie E. is at it again! The St. Charles County Team Captain is scheduled to do an Awareness Booth at a local grocery store in hopes to surpass their last-year total of $300. She also has a second Awareness Booth scheduled at a community fair to help share the LLS and FOH mission. Plans for a potential bowling fundraiser is also in the works.

Reno and Sacramento Team Captain Beck M. shares these tips and words of encouragement:

“Friends of Heroes has earned the title as the LARGEST friends and family team, so we have our names on ALL of the Light the Night walk “Taking Steps Towards Cures” handouts with Cynthia Nixon on it. Use the fact that our team name IS in there to promote the Friends of Heroes name to get people to join.

Try your hardest to push the Friends of Heroes name as much as you can. A few tips are to carry a few of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society information handouts with you. Also, wear a relentless bracelet. I have been stopped countless times over it. Sadly, once you start a conversation about blood cancer, chances are, almost everyone you talk to will have a story to share.

Lets do it for those Heroes, LETS GET THE BEAST~
As the door shuts behind my husband at his parents house, his dad with a low voice just said “mom’s best friend just got diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma” The first thought in my head was “The beast has hit again!” So let’s make 2007 Friends of Heros be one of the best years and be one step closer to getting that beast.”

National Co-Captain Beth F. did a Google search for Friends of Heroes and was delighted to see her event press release printed in her local paper and circulating on the web.

Press release templates are pre-written and available for you to customize. Download press releases at http://www.friendsofheroes.org/pressroom.shtml and distribute to your local media outlets to publicize your event and spread the word about Friends of Heroes.

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5K & Family Fun Walk Race Results

August 27th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in Fundraising Events, Team Tidbits

Chesterton IN – August 25, 2007

Tyler Mack 21.36

Chris Wilinski 22.42

Mike Shawhan 22.51

Erin Lobsiger 22.54

Suzanna Szrom 23.06

Mark Acevedo 24.05

Andrea Georgion 24.11

Bill Reed 24.39

Bryant Donnella 25.07

Michelle Jatkiewitcz 25.14

Jeff Elisha 25.23

Tama Pickford 25.38

Theresa Potesta 25.39

Doug Taylor 25.40

Kevin Downing 26.09

Katy Welter 26.51

Christine Vagenius 27.19

Rebekah Vagenius 27.20

Clarisse Fletcher 27.20

Hugh Martz 27.22

Rob Szrom 28.46

Heidi Szrom 28.53

Elizabeth Mazepa 28.54

Pamela Fletcher 29.16

Clifton Howell 29.33

Carrie Coslov 29.42

Ehren Plew 30.03

John Wraight 30.08

Holly Plew 30.13

Daymon Johnston 30.58

Tasha Demoss 31.25

Alfred Moody 31.35

Rob Pisowics 31.59

Sarah Kozicynski 34.07

Sadie Tucker 34.08

Thank you to everyone who came out to support our cause! We hope to see you next year!

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Friends of Heroes Grantee, Dr. Joseph Wiemels

August 26th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in Cancer Research Notes, Team Tidbits

Career Development: Scholar in Clinical Research

Joseph Wiemels, PhD – 2004 (Active) – 2634-04

The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA US

Etiology and Natural History of Pediatric Leukemias with t(12;21) TEL-AML1 Translocations

Leukemia is the most common cancer in childhood. Despite many advances in the treatment of childhood leukemia, the disease remains a tragic circumstance in suffering and mortality. The advances in treatment are not matched by advances in discovering the cause or means to prevent the disease.

Leukemia is associated with genetic changes in certain types of blood cells, and we have discovered that one type of change, chromosomal translocations, very often occur before the child is born. These translocations are quite common among children, most of who never get leukemia. However, we have very little information about the genetic changes that occur after birth and how these changes ultimately cause leukemia.

We currently propose to apply new techniques in the field of cancer genetics to identify the identity and exact sequences of these secondary genetic events in the most common type of leukemia, those with the translocation t(12;21).

These techniques, termed “array comparative genomic hybridization” and “inverse polymerase chain reaction” will be used within a comprehensive epidemiology study of childhood leukemia in Northern California. We will use our “molecular forensic” techniques in concert with traditional epidemiologic methods to discover the causes of leukemia for the purposes of developing preventative strategies.

From: lls.org

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