St. Baldrick's 2025

[Todd]

Hi, St. B's HEROES!!

After Team Spider Monkey's RECORD fundraising year in 2024 (THANK YOU!) we now need to keep that momentum going as we join with The St. Baldrick's Foundation's 25th year to #AccelerateTheNext25 years of funding the critical research that will not only save the lives of CHILDREN battling CANCER, but improve the quality of life for those survivors!

With the amazing addition and support of survivor Serena DiCillo's dad, Dave, last year, Team Spider Monkey raised an INCREDIBLE $77,623 to end up as the #7 team in the WORLD! The incredible event at Thos. O'Reilly's Public House also raised a record $164,420 as the #16 event!

Now, in YEAR #18 for yours truly and TSM, we will be back at the wonderful O'Reilly's and their incredible event team to keep that ball rolling!

MORE updates will be coming, but the date is SATURDAY, MARCH 22, from 12 Noon to 4:00PM!

We hope you will both continue your generous support of St. Baldrick's *AND* help us spread the word to others who still may not know about the biggest non-Gov't funder of childhood cancer research in the world! ☺

Thanks!...more to come!...

John...aka "Buzzfan"

https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/Buzzfan2025

[Walnut River]

Contributed. Hard to believe it's the 18th year for this!

[Todd]

Contributed.  Hard to believe it's the 18th year for this!

Yep. This is one of my favorite charities. My 17 month old nephew passed away Christmas Day 2001 from a glioblastoma and I’ve either participated or given money ever since. Buzz does an outstanding job raising money.

[Walnut River]

Contributed.  Hard to believe it's the 18th year for this!

Yep. This is one of my favorite charities. My 17 month old nephew passed away Christmas Day 2001 from a glioblastoma and I’ve either participated or given money ever since. Buzz does an outstanding job raising money.

Daughter had leukemia about the time Chayton got sick.  Ended up with two bone marrow transplants but is doing very well now, all things considered.

[Buzzfan®]

...about to do my annual kick-off post but you beat me to the TEE!

Appreciate the kind words from you and WNR...the fact that you guys have both been personally impacted by childhood cancer really hits me hard! Yeah, I definitely got hooked on this cause all those years ago - I think (in part) because the BuzzTots™ were never faced with any serious medical issues growing up and we felt truly fortunate in that regard. The stories about other families going thru a cancer diagnosis for their kids always reminded us "That family could have just as easily been ours."

Will always be so grateful and humbled that...
...friends were willing to join in with me to form and maintain TSM.
...the amazing folks at St Baldrick's have always been so supportive and easy to contact and work with.
...but, mostly, that SO MANY folks have been willing to do the real heavy lifting of throwing their dollars into the pot - whether it's one year, a few years, or EVERY YEAR!! (YKWYA!)

After that first event in '08 - especially after having Chayton, Hacker and his MBH there - I was something of a mess. I think it was a combination of pride (borderline narcissistic?) in what I had been able to accomplish and the sobering dose of reality I had attained from learning throughout the process how many kids and families face this battle every day for year after year - the pokes, the tests, the chemo, the surgeries, the transplants, the side effects of all of the above!

And every day I am doing something related to St. Baldrick's, I remind myself that...while my better half and I are also donors...it's the MANY donors supporting me and TSM over the years who have been the ones really making the difference! THAT will never change!

Thanks!
John

[Buzzfan®]

So tonight we SPRING FORWARD on those clocks (except the ones that change themselves. Oh, and the ones we can't ever figure out how to change...so we'll ignore those until just after Halloween when they'll be correct again!) 

But we also need - now more than ever - to keep the progress moving FORWARD in the fight to find new and better treatments for Childhood Cancers!...and that means FUNDING the research!! Here's just the latest St. Baldrick's "Research Outcomes" update:
  https://blog.stbaldricks.org/research-outcomes-game-changing-results/

And speaking of 'FORWARD'...don't forget to forward→ these updates! The St. Baldrick's Foundation is the world's LARGEST volunteer movement to save kids with cancer, and much of that is thanks to simply getting the word OUT! Someone YOU forward this message to today might become the next St. Baldrick's HERO! 

This is my 18th year as a St. Baldrick's shavee...but only the 1st 2 years were as an individual participant. In that 3rd year, I had 2 terrific friends/supporters JOIN me to form a team! We started out as 'Team Section 10' but that later became the current 'Team Spider Monkey' as more folks joined us!

The team size and makeup has varied, but the dedication has not! Each team member has brought their passion for this fight to the table (well, CHAIR, actually!) and helped grow the family of HEROES....YOUR family!

And now...as of Saturday, March 8, 2025 10am...Team Spider Monkey is less than $4,000 away from a total of HALF A MILLION DOLLARS raised for St. Baldrick's!

YOU have done that! I and my teammates just go to an event, have a pint or 2, meet some great folks....and get a free haircut! Oh, and beg YOU to support us! 

St. Baldrick's is celebrating just 25 years in 2025!.....so PLEASE help them...and us...and me to #AccelerateTheNext25 years of RESEARCH!

THANK YOU!!

John....aka "Buzzfan"