Mission4Maureen News

May Days Raises over $7,000

May 2010 -

Donations for more than 300 tickets were received during April & May raising $7,650 for Mission4Maureen. More than 100 M4M supporters joined the fun and there were 60 winners! Many thanks go to all who participated. We would also like to express our special appreciation to the eleven winners who graciously donated their winnings back to the foundation.

Targeted Agent Blocked Growth of Deadly Brain Cancer
in Preclinical Studies

March 2010 -

Science Daily – A drug already in clinical trials to treat a variety of tumors shows a remarkable ability to shut down growth of glioblastoma in both laboratory cells and in animals, say researchers from Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

In their experiments, the agent put a brake on growth of laboratory cancer cell lines, and no mice with glioblastoma in their brain died as a result of their tumor while on therapy.

Read more… http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100330142426.htm

News from the Knights of Columbus

February 2010 -

The Knights of Columbus Immaculata Council 3767, has created the Dr. John C. Rosace Jr. Memorial Fund.

Dr. Rosace lost his battle with brain cancer in 2009. Funds raised through various events will be given in Dr. Rosace’s name to Mission4Maureen to specifically help adult brain cancer patients.

The 2009-2010 Annual Fund Grand Plan

February 2010 -

The Grand Plan for the 2009-2010 Annual Fund was to raise at least a “grand” for each adult applicant who was waiting for assistance.

Thanks to more than $6,000 in donations to the Annual Fund, and grant support from Have A Chance and from the Genentech Foundation Community & Patient Program, Mission4Maureen assisted ALL 35 applicants who were waiting for help at the time of our last newsletter.

The Genentech Foundation awards a $98,000 grant to Mission4Maureen

January 2010 -

The Genentech Foundation of South San Francisco has awarded a $98,000 grant to Mission4Maureen through its Everyday Needs Assistance Program.

With this support, Mission4Maureen will continue to assist families struggling with pediatric brain cancer this year. The Everyday Needs Assistance Program was established to help ease the financial burden of families with children facing cancer while they seek care for their child. This is the second year that Mission4Maureen has been awarded a grant from this program. For more information about the Genentech Foundation, please visit: www.genentechfoundation.com..

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

January 2010 – Hudson, OH

Larry Walker, President of Mission4Maureen, was a guest speaker at the annual Interdenominational Prayer Service and Luncheon as part of Hudson churches “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,” at St. Mary’s Church, in Hudson, Ohio, on January 21st.

Larry shared with the captivated congregation his personal experience as Maureen’s father and the importance of keeping her foundation growing for these patients. A freewill offering collected more than $1,800 for Mission4Maureen.

Have A Chance Awards $35,000 to Mission4Maureen

December 2009 -

We are thrilled to report that Have A Chance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals and families impacted by brain cancer, awarded Mission4Maureen an additional $35,000 grant from the 2008 Have a Chance Walk, bringing the total monies received from Have A Chance in 2009 to $50,000.

Since the first Have A Chance Walk in 2006, thousands of people have stepped forward and raised more than $2 million. Those dollars have helped Have A Chance fund research and treatment programs that offer comfort, advice and assistance to those families who are battling brain tumors.

For more information on Have A Chance and their walk please visit www.haveachancewalk.org.

Team Mission4Maureen Stepped Forward in New York City!

October 2009 – Manhattan, NY

Mission4Maureen accepted the challenge to raise funds to support the 2009 Have A Chance Walk To Fight Brain Tumors, which took place on Sunday, October 18, 2009 at Battery Park in Manhattan.

The walk raises money to bring an end to brain tumors, which affects more than 200,000 people each year. Team Mission4Maureen was created to raise funds for brain cancer research, to thank Have A Chance for its 2009 grant support and to raise awareness of the Mission4Maureen foundation.

More than thirty Mission4Maureen walkers arrived in New York City and joined together on Sunday morning, in Battery Park. Each team member raised a minimum of
$75 in order to participate. This was the 4th walk for Have A Chance who has raised more
than 2 million dollars over the previous three years.

The family-oriented, noncompetitive 5K walk began at 10:30 a.m. following registration and the opening ceremony emceed by Eric Roth, President of Have A Chance.

The experience of participating in a walk that is entirely devoted to the cause of brain cancer was inspiring. Team Mission4Maureen walked together and exceeded its goal by raising over $5,000 for the Have A Chance Walk. Members came from as far away as Naperville, Illinois and Charlotte, North Carolina. As a “Thank you,” the team received the new Mission4Maureen logo hat.

The Have A Chance Walk to Fight Brain Tumors is a wonderful event and Mission4Maureen was glad to be a part of it. For more information on Have A Chance, visit www.haveachancewalk.org.

Mission4Maureen wins 2009 Cancer Charity Award

August 2009 – Menlo Park, CA

For donors and volunteers looking to support a cancer charity, GreatNonprofits has released the first ever list of top-rated cancer fighting nonprofits.

Mission4Maureen is proud to have received a 2009 Cancer Fighters Award as the Best Cancer Charity of the Midwest! A huge variety of cancer support, education, and advocacy organizations were reviewed during the 2009 GreatNonprofits Cancer Fighters Awards in July. The large diversity of organizations that received reviews combined with the large number of reviews posted, shows the incredible passion and commitment these organizations inspire.

The contest, held throughout July, asked people to submit reviews and ratings about nonprofits serving the cancer community. The contest was sponsored by GreatNonprofits, GuideStar and Planet Cancer. The results provide surprising and inspiring insights into the diversity of organizations that are considered effective and important by volunteers, donors and stakeholders of the cancer. This is the first ever list providing reviews of cancer fighting nonprofits by those who have actually experienced their work. These unique results will be helpful to donors and supporters looking to get involved with the cancer community.

“There are so many great nonprofits that don’t have an advertising budget and are not household name /s,” says Perla Ni, CEO and founder of GreatNonprofits. “Through this first-ever list of top-rated cancer nonprofits, you can see how some of these nonprofits literally have saved lives. Donors and volunteers who are interested in fighting cancer can now see which nonprofits are really making a difference.”

You can read all the reviews of Mission4Maureen at GreatNonprofits.org. The awards were hosted by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user-generated ratings and reviews of nonprofits, Planet Cancer, and Guidestar. Over the course of the Cancer Fighters Awards, more than 46,000 people visited the GreatNonprofits Web site, and 1,864 reviews were posted about more than 120 cancer fighting organizations. Thank you to all Mission4Maureen supporters who took the time to write reviews.

Ford Dealership Teams Up With M4M

August 2009 – Fort Lauderdale, FL

On August 7th, Mission4Maureen received an application from Ms. Monica Folsom, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who had an urgent need for car repair in order to be able to transport her son to the hospital for
his brain cancer treatments.

By August 11th, Mission4Maureen received an email from Ms. Folsom’s social worker, confirming that the car was now no longer drivable. Ms. Folsom had obtained an estimate of what a new radiator would cost for her Ford Explorer. Unfortunately, the vendor from whom she received the estimate could not be verified as a licensed business. The solution was to find a reputable vendor with whom we could be confident in the quality of the work and safety of Monica’s vehicle. Mission4Maureen was able to find a Ford dealership with a service department near the Folsom residence. Maroone Ford was that dealership. Dale Davis, the Assistant Service Manager, was willing to diagnose the repairs that would be necessary to make this vehicle truly roadworthy and safe for its occupants. Mission4Maureen also knew that Ford could be counted on to “fix it right,” and that Monica would then have a warranty on the repairs.

As it happened, there was much more wrong with this vehicle than just a broken radiator. Dale kept in close touch with Mission4Maureen about what needed to be done as he inspected the Explorer. He seemed genuinely sympathetic to Monica’s situation.

Maroone Ford provided an initial estimate for all the necessary repairs. Monica gave her approval, and Mission4Maureen guaranteed payment. A couple days later, when Monica’s car was ready, the final cost was $100 less than the estimate, yet it included a brake job that was not previously discussed. Dale had explained the family’s situation to his service manager. Inspired by what Mission4Maureen was doing, Maroone Ford decided that they wanted to do their part in helping this family deal with childhood brain cancer. Maroone Ford did the brake job at no additional charge!

In this time of economic stress, particularly for the automotive industry, stories like this are easy to miss. Mission4Maureen wants to express our deepest thanks for the generosity of this dealership and commending, in particular, Dale Davis, and his team.