I could talk all day about the amazing things St. Jude does for cancer research, and I don’t even have any personal experience with them. I was a big fan years ago, for no real other reason than that they saved the lives of children. I had no idea when I started attending fundraisers.
The first major fundraising campaign I did on my own with St. Jude was to raise money for Warrior Dash. I was convinced that I wasn’t going to make it, that the course was too tough. That fear paled in comparison to the fear a parent feels when they first hear that their child has cancer. I did it again the following year. Warrior Dash is put on by Red Frog events that donates a lot of money to St. Jude. They committed to raising $25 Million for St. Jude for the world’s first Proton Radiation Therapy center that focuses solely on children.
Then, I started my radio career at one of our sister stations in Bloomington. All the stations in that group spend two days in mid-February every year for a St. Jude Radiothon, and this is where my relationship grew from merely liking this organization to loving it. Talking with all of the local families that had been affected by cancer (and it really does affect the entire family) and hearing them rave about how amazing St. Jude was to them- even if their story had a sad ending- was really awe-inspiring. Did you know that since St. Jude opened in 1962, they’ve increased the survival rate of childhood cancer from 20% to 80%? They’ve literally quadrupled the chance of survival, and because of St. Jude, a cancer diagnosis is no longer a death sentence! St. Jude won’t stop researching until that survival rate is 100%. They are an organization whose goal is to put themselves out of business!
After three years of Radiothons, and a few Give Thanks Walks (the previous name for the Walk/Run), I’ve stepped up my relationship with St. Jude even further. I am happy to be on the committee for the St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer, and I REALLY want you to see how great St. Jude is. Listen to our morning show over the next couple months, we’re going to have interviews with families and patients that have been treated by St. Jude. And one of the most amazing things is that we aren’t just sending our funds to Memphis, where the hospital is located. We actually get to help children in our own back yard! In Peoria, we are so lucky to have the Midwest Affiliate for St. Jude RIGHT HERE! They do everything they can do here so that families don’t have to be displaced in Memphis for too long, if at all! Several of the patients I’ve talked to haven’t even been to Memphis; they got 100% of their treatment right here in Peoria.
Won’t you create or join a team to raise money for this amazing origination? You’re welcome to join OUR team- Nash FM 97.3/Radio Peoria, create one of your own, or donate to anyone who is walking or running for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Whether Walker, Runner, or supporter, we’d LOVE to see you at Peoria’s Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer. Pencil in September 24th into your calendar, and get signed up right now! The $10 you donate could buy the test tube that holds the cure for cancer. The $100 you raise can buy a little red wagon that kids get to ride around the hospital in instead of being carted around in wheelchairs. YOU can absolutely make a difference here!
-Kristin
