STRATEGY #47
Our prayers are with all of our Team Unite Families. Team Unite is so proud of all of our brave young warriors and their families. Please join us in sending love, prayers and support to all who are in this battle and special prayers to those who have earned their wings.
1. Please continue the on-going campaign to call, write, email, fax and visit as many people as possible. Please continue submitting stories to local and national media and continue reaching out to the celebrity community.
2. If you have not done so already, please join us on Facebook and get others to do this as well. Post your pictures and videos and feel free to post information about fundraisers you are supporting or any news in your local market relating to the childhood cancer community. This enables us to post news in a more timely fashion as well, so please be sure to post any breaking news or information that you’d like to share with our Facebook community. Please also contribute to our information bank through our Team Unite Message Board/Forum. This area of our site where individuals can post prayer requests or resources and information that has been helpful to them on their journey.
3. If you are able to travel to DC for Reach the Day, please travel safe and share your experiences with us for a future update. Like the Hope and Empowerment Event, this gives families a chance to come together for a common cause and make our voices heard in DC. If you would like to share your experience with us please send your observations and comments about attending Reach the Day to Dianne@teamunite.net for consideration in a future update.
4. CHILDHOOD AWARENESS MONTH – SEPTEMBER & CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS DAY – SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2010
PLEASE share with us any creative ideas you have put into place for September or for awareness. Here's one big event we're all excited about:
The team is called “46 Mommas Shave for the Brave.” “46” because there are approximately 46 children diagnosed with cancer each weekday. “Mommas” because we are all mothers of children affected by cancer. “Shave for the Brave” because this September we will all gather together to shave our heads; a gesture of love and support for the children fighting for their lives all over the world.
Our team name says it all. We are a group of 46 moms of children who have fought or are fighting cancer. Our goal is to make a difference, to get the message out there that kids get cancer too. What better way to do that than to shave our heads?
While the ladies on our team come from different parts of the country, different backgrounds, different occupations; there is one thing that we have in common, childhood cancer. Help us spread the word and hit our fundraising goal. No donation is too small (or too big).
Visit the site today! While you are there, check out the children we are honoring. These are the children we are mommas to and our reasons for doing this. Thank you.
What are you doing for September? Please email us and let us know and we may choose your idea for a future update!
The goal of Team Unite is AWARENESS.
Awareness = $$$ for Research = A CURE!
Make sure that you are accurate in your facts! Study and become familiar and comfortable with childhood cancer statistics. It is difficult because a study and update is long over due but the facts and statistics are what they are.
Please post Team Unite updates on your sites and take part in our on-going strategies.
Please help spread the word and raise awareness that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, September 13 is Childhood Cancer Awareness Day and that the Gold Ribbon is the symbol in support of childhood cancer research and the ultimate goal to find a cure!
The following link will take you to a section of the Team Unite Website dedicated to providing easy to download PDF’s on statistics and things you can easily do that will benefit childhood cancer awareness and research. http://www.teamunite.net/downloads.html
Many Team Unite families from around the country attended Hope and Empowerment in Indianapolis, Indiana in March of this year. The Henry Tucker Foundation organized the event that was held at the Jewish Community Center on Friday and Saturday the 20-21st of March.
Shown above, from left to right: Henry Allen, Karen Gerstenberger, MICHELLE Tucker, Dianne Killian, Heide Randall
Team Unite Member Courtney Horn gets her hair done "Backstage" for the "Letters To God" Movie Premiere.
This very special event brought together families living with childhood cancer along with medical professionals from the two area children’s hospitals. The weekend started with a screening of the movie, Letters to God and was followed on Saturday with speakers, a key note speaker (Patrick Doughtie - Letters to God) as well as break out sessions. All who attended felt a sense of camaraderie, unity and accomplishment. The following are comments from the event. We encourage others around the country to come together in this way. The power of a unified voice is powerful and good for the soul as well.
From Heide Randall (Team Unite
Co-Founder and Jessica’s Mom)
The Hope & Empowerment event in Indy was absolutely amazing. I got to meet so many awesome people in person, FINALLY!! Mother, Mike, and Georgie Tucker (Henry's mom, dad, and brother), and Dianne Killian (Henry's "aunt" and fellow Team Unite co-conspirator) ... Henry Allen (Cameron's papa & founder of The Brain Candy Project) & Karen, Gregg, and David Gerstenberger (Katie's mom, dad, and brother, and founders of Katie's Comforters Guild); Sue and Courtney Horn; Christine Bradley (Jacob's mom, and founder of Jacob's Smiles), Danielle and Susan Krapinski; Bob Piniewski (AJ's dad & PAC2 founder); Karri Harmon (Caroline's mom); Gina and Mary Cousineau (Evan's mom and sister, and founders of Be a Hero; Become a Donor). I also met the very sweet Doughtie family. Patrick Doughtie is the write and co-director of the now-released movie, Letters to God. We were treated to a special pre-release screening of the movie; about a young boy and his family dealing with the devastating diagnosis of brain cancer.
From Karen Gerstengerger (Katie’s Mom and Founder of Katie's Comforters Guild)
We had the privilege of meeting the Medical Director of Peyton Manning Children's Hospital's Center for Cancer & Blood Diseases, Dr. Bassem Razzouk, M.D. Dr. Razzouk just happens to have worked at St. Jude's Children's Hospital with the only two doctors in the world who are studying Katie's rare cancer, adrenocortical carcinoma. They created the drug protocol that she used, the one that stabilized her tumor enough so that it could be surgically removed. It was such a meaningful encounter. To hear his thoughts and insights, and to be on a panel discussion with him, was pure inspiration for me.
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thousands of patients hope for a bone marrow donor who can make their life-saving transplant possible. They depend on people like you. You have the power to save a life. Take the first step today. Click here for more information.
***Post your Foundation or charity on our Team Unite Board Under, "List your Charity or Foundation Information Here." ***
Have you noticed some changes to our homepage? We now have a direct feed from our FaceBook page. If you have not become a fan of our Facebook page, please visit us today at http://facebook.com/teamunite! If you have news that you’d like to post this way please send a message to admin@teamunite.net for consideration.
Please also remember to post to our board at www.teamunite.net/forum. The information listed there provides resources and help to families fighting childhood cancer so please visit often and post resources for others!
Volunteers Needed: We currently have a number of teams awaiting an ambassador to check in with them on a regular basis, or post prayers on our board for them, and to just make sure they know that our unified effort has got their backs! Should you or someone you know be interested in becoming an Angel and a Team Unite Volunteer, please send us an email at dianne@teamunite.net.
Please visit our Board to comment on these stories and any
other news you may find of interest.
Thank you to these folks who are supporting September and the kids!!! Please send any media you find that is supporting our cause so that we can all go to the site and comment on these articles. It is important that they receive the positive comments so they will continue to report so please make sure to leave thank you messages and comments at the end of these articles!
The following are links for a few media outlets you may contact. Please send to any you feel would benefit our cause in raising awareness.
Contact your local ABC Affiliate station
Contact your local Fox Affiliate station
Contact your local NBC Affiliate station
Contact your local CBS Affiliate station
CBS email Form | ABC email Form | NBC Contact Form
Ellen | Oprah | CNN
Local and national TV stations, newspapers, magazines, etc. Of course we need ongoing letters to editors, etc and also please keep your eye out for articles and when they appear be sure to post and thank the publication or news channel for reporting on childhood cancer!
Your Autograph Wanted!!!
Please sign these petitions in support of Childhood Cancer Awareness!
Please take a moment to sign the "CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS POSTAGE STAMP" petition here.
Please take a moment to sign Team AJ’s petition as well. It can be found here.
Celebrity Contacts
The attached table is a listing of celebrities affected by childhood cancer. This document is a work-in-progress by Team Unite. We are hoping to build upon this list, to include more details and contact information. We'd like to reach out to these individuals and ask that they help us in our efforts to get the word out. If you have contact information for any of these folks or know someone we should add, please email dianne@teamunite.net. Thank you!
Year-Round SEPTEMBER!
Please continue to wear your Childhood Cancer Awareness Gear! A gold ribbon is a must and is easy to make. Or you can order buttons, t-shirts and more at www.cafepress.com/teamunite. Let’s all start now in asking children’s hospitals in our area what they are planning to do for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month!
Angel Wings
Are you aware of the Angel Wings ministry? This is a group of prayer warriors. To find out how you can help join a wonderful group of people who are sending prayers both individually and as a group to folks battling childhood cancer please visit their site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Angel_Wings/ . The idea is to adopt a child who is fighting life threatening illness and follow their journey. You send special prayer requests to the group on their behalf and join together on a regular basis and hold prayer vigils for all of the families they pray for. We realize that prayers alone are not enough to stop this dreadful beast but the positive impact that prayer can have is undeniable so please, if you have the time and are looking for a calling, please consider helping these folks out and include a family in your daily prayers.
