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We Believe — Believe In Tomorrow provides exceptional hospital and respite housing services to critically ill children and their families. We believe in keeping families together during a child’s medical crisis, and that the gentle cadence of normal family life has a powerful influence on the healing process.
September 2011 - in this issue
Believe In Tomorrow on Groupon
Get Your Groupon with Believe In Tomorrow…TODAY!!
Are you signed up for Groupon yet? If not, sign up quickly or else you’ll miss out on the upcoming Believe In Tomorrow campaign through Groupon’s G-Team, starting TODAY!
Groupon is a website that features great daily deals – 50% to 90% off – on local goods, services, and events in your hometown market. The G-Team is a community outreach initiative within Groupon that brings communities together to do good, have fun and make an impact. Believe In Tomorrow is helping the G-Team debut in Baltimore, with our very own campaign running from September 13th to 16th.
What to do:
- Subscribe to Groupon http://www.groupon.com/subscriptions/new (if you haven’t already) in the Baltimore area. Even if you don’t live in Baltimore, you can still get daily Groupon emails for the area and help support Believe In Tomorrow’s campaign!
- Check the daily Groupon email to view the campaign, starting TODAY through Thursday, 9/13. It will be listed on the right side of the page under the list of daily deals. Or, check it out here: http://www.groupon.com/deals/gt-believe-in-tomorrow-childrens-foundation
- Support the campaign with a pledge and spread the word to family and friends to do the same! You will receive a charitable contribution receipt for your donation.
2011 Workplace Giving Campaigns
Believe In Tomorrow is once again a proud participant in several workplace giving campaigns this fall through the Independent Charities of America. Workplace giving allows you to make tax-deductible donations through your employer with automatic payroll deductions to a charity of your choice.
Believe In Tomorrow participates in a number of federal, state, and city workplace giving campaigns nationwide. Our Maryland Charities Campaign designation number is 2111 and our Combined Federal Campaign designation number is 11570. To find out if we participate in a giving campaign near you, search the campaign directory for “Believe In Tomorrow National Children’s Foundation.”
We would like to thank everyone for keeping us in your thoughts in the midst of recent weather-related events. Our housing facilities, especially those in Baltimore, MD, and along the shores of Maryland and Delaware, were lucky enough to withstand everything that Mother Nature has thrown at them. Thank you for thinking of us!
Upcoming Believe In Tomorrow Events
- 2nd Annual Beach Respite 5k Race: Sunday, September 25th at 9am, at the Bayside Resort and Golf Club in Fenwick Island, DE. Register individually or join our newly introduced Centipede Division! Register today at believeintomorrow.org/beachrespiterun.
- Sunfest Weekend: September 22-25 in Ocean City, MD. Grab a beer from the beer truck, manned by some of your very own Believe In Tomorrow staff and friends, or stop by the Info Booth and purchase raffle tickets for the $2,000 Gas Raffle!
- Beach Bash: Monday, September 26th at Seacrets in Ocean City, MD. Great auction, raffles, delicious food, and a 1 in 225 chance to win $10,000 cash! Contact Wayne Littleton at 410-723-2842 to purchase tickets, or stop by the Believe In Tomorrow House by the Sea on 66th Street in Ocean City.
- 29th Annual Benefit & Auction: Saturday, October 22nd at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD. Visit believeintomorrow.org/benefit for more info and to purchase tickets. We are still seeking sponsorships, program advertisements, and unique auction items! Give us a call at 410-744-1032 if interested.
Thank you to the Eastern Shore Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America for once again hosting an extremely successful event to benefit Believe In Tomorrow. We would like to give a special thanks to everyone who participated in the golf tournament, silent auction, and crab feast on our behalf.
Other upcoming golf events include:
- 9/22 – hosted by the MD-VA Floor Covering Association
- 9/23 – hosted by Constellation Energy
- 9/26 – hosted by Edison Electric
- 10/4 – hosted by WNST Sports Radio
- 10/31 – hosted by Gateway Capitol Financial
Friends & Family Listing in Benefit and Auction Program
This year we are offering a special opportunity for Believe In Tomorrow friends and families who wish to be included in the 29th Annual Benefit and Auction program booklet. For $100, your short message will be included in the booklet, which is distributed to each of our 700+ guests. Some ideas might include mentioning your company name, honoring or remembering a loved one, or simply giving a shout out to a great supporter or friend. Please contact Kate Sachs at 410-744-1032 or ksachs@believeintomorrow.org if you wish to be included in this year’s Benefit and Auction program.
Donate an Auction Item
Attention all destination travelers, antique hunters, sports enthusiasts, and everyday collectors of unique and cool stuff!! We are accepting live and silent auction donations for our 29th Annual Benefit and Auction, including travel accommodations, sports memorabilia, and tickets to exciting events, attractions, sports games or shows. Got something you’d like to donate? Give us a call at 410-744-1032. Donations must be received by October 1st. All donations are tax-exempt for the value of the item.
Believe In Tomorrow Takes to the Waves of Ocean City, MD
Picture this: you’re looking out over the water from the beach in Ocean City, Maryland, when who floats along but Believe In Tomorrow Children’s Foundation!
Thanks to Jake Robinson at SeaBoard Media LLC, Believe In Tomorrow has appeared up and down the Delmarva Coast on the SeaBoard catamaran’s digital LED screens during the summer months. Keep an eye out next summer in Ocean City, where you just might catch a glance of Believe In Tomorrow cruising through the waves! Thank you Jake, for helping spread the word about Believe In Tomorrow to beach-goers up and down the Delmarva Coast!
Family story: Meet the Guindons
It was just another day in West Springfield, MA, when four-year-old Jack Guindon happened to take a tumble while riding his tricycle in the backyard. Mom, Joanna, rushed out to kiss away his tears and boo-boos, and the incident was quickly past. That night, Jack began acting strangely and his parents took him to the emergency room to rule out any internal bleeding. Though Jack’s blood count was a little low, neither the doctor nor the pediatrician at a follow-up appointment found anything to be wrong. But over the next week, Jack’s blood count dropped so low that he ended up back in the hospital, with a scary diagnosis.
“You never think that your healthy kid has cancer,” said Joanna. “He had just had a physical and passed with flying colors, and just had all his vaccinations too.” Jack was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia – ALL – a common, yet dangerous form of childhood cancer.
The next four years were dominated by hospital stays and treatments to combat Jack’s illness. Joanna and her husband, Tom, had to split their days between staying at the hospital with Jack and staying at home with his sisters, Keely and newborn Megan.
A family friend who had stayed at the Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD, recommended the Guindons to check out Believe In Tomorrow’s programs. Although Jack was too sick to travel when he was initially accepted into Believe In Tomorrow’s respite program, the family was excited about the prospect of getting away together.
Volunteer of the Month: “A One of a Kind Sweetheart”
It’s always helpful to have a friendly face and an outstretched hand when you’re in an unfamiliar area. This holds true when behind you sits a stuffed-to-the-gills, waiting-to-be-unpacked car and several hungry, tired, or otherwise waiting to be entertained family members. And this is especially true for families arriving at the Believe In Tomorrow House on the Bay who are lucky enough to meet next-door neighbor Jeanne Sparacino.
Jeanne has been a neighbor of Believe In Tomorrow’s bay front property since the day it was built, and acts as the “house mom next door” for families who cross the threshold of this retreat home. Whether she invites them to crab off the end of her deck, enjoy a home-cooked meal, or simply sit down for a good chat, Jeanne has been there through thick and thin for our Believe In Tomorrow House on the Bay families.