|
January 11, 2007
2006 was our second full year that the Jeffrey Thomas Hayden
Foundation operated as a non-profit organization. Over the past twelve
months we focused our efforts on raising awareness about the problem of
pediatric brain tumors, raising money to fund research and scholarships,
and providing factual information directly to parents so that educated
decisions can be made regarding treatment options.
We made a better effort in 2006 to increase awareness about the problem
of pediatric brain tumors by working and partnering with various
organizations, media outlets and recognizable personalities from the
world of sport, TV and radio. The Detroit Red Wings held their second
annual JTHF Book Drive in October to benefit the Children’s Hospital of
Michigan and head coach Mike Babcock continues to support our cause as a
very active and vocal spokesperson. Tom Gamble, host of WLW radio’s
“Sports Talk” emceed our dinner in January and promoted our cause on his
radio show. Former Cincinnati Bengal, Robert Jackson, lent his support
to our annual golf outing and was active in collecting items that were
auctioned off at various events. WLWT Channel 5 helped promote all of
our major fundraising events and supported our efforts throughout the
year.
Jeff’s Book Drive, which was held in October, collected over 2300 books,
games, movies and toys that were distributed to Cincinnati Children’s
Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) in Cincinnati. Thanks to chairperson
Chelsea Pitonyak and her team of volunteers for this outstanding and
appreciative effort. For the second year in a row, the Detroit Red Wings
helped out by giving JTHF a date on their schedule to collect items from
their fans which will be donated to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan
on an upcoming visit with the Red Wings players and coaches. Thanks to
Allie Babcock and her team of volunteers that helped make this possible.
Our three main fundraising events were a success. The Play Ball Dinner &
Auction in January, the 5K Family Fun Walk in May, and the Robert
Jackson Fall Golf Classic in October all exceeded or met expectations.
Thanks to event chairpersons Denise and John Siegel and Kate Miller,
along with the cast of wonderful volunteers we refer to as Jeff’s Army,
for assisting Cindy and I with all the prep work to put on these events.
Two other fundraisers of significance were the “Piggy banks” which were
placed at various locations throughout Cincinnati and the “Meet Mike
Babcock Dinner at Detroit’s famous Roostertail restaurant. Thanks to
Brenda Brosnan for organizing the “Meet Mike Babcock Dinner” in April
and to Jeff’s grandma, Jeanne Hayden, for running the Piggy Bank program
during the month of May. And thanks to everyone that made personal or
corporate donations to the foundation in 2006, it was a record year with
over $150,000 raised and we appreciate your support.
2006 saw the return of the Parkway Auto Wash fundraiser in June, which
benefited both JTHF and Make a Wish. In August, Jeff’s 10 year old
cousin Emma held a Garage Sale to benefit the foundation. Both events
went off without a hitch and were accompanied by perfect weather. Thanks
Debbie and Emma! Thanks to Bob Schloemer and Gene Slageter for donating
the proceeds of the Lakota March Madness Tournament to JTHF.
In 2006 we gave out over $89,000 to various organizations, with the Ohio
State University Foundation being the largest recipient. The money
donated to OSU went to fund the “Jeffrey Thomas Hayden Foundation
Postdoctoral Endowed Fellowship Fund in Pediatric Brain Tumor Research
at the Ohio State University Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and the
Richard L. Solove Research Institute”. This was part of our $250,000
commitment and we are proud and honored to be working with such a fine
institution.
Other organizations receiving money, sponsorship, assistance, gifts or
support from JTHF include; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
Center, Children’s Hospital of Michigan, CancerFree Kids, Make a Wish of
Southern Ohio, Rosemary Hockney Memorial Foundation, Chase Away OMS,
Fernside, Freedom Elementary PTO and the DPG Conference at Ballys.
In August of 2006, Gerry Sutter lost his wife, Susan, due to
complications from an ongoing disease. Susan was the aunt of young Isaac
Hauke, who passed away at the age of 5 from a diffuse pontine glioma in
2004. Susan wanted to honor her nephew by volunteering her time with our
foundation before losing her own battle. We thank the Sutter and Miller
families for asking their friends and family to send donations and
memorials to JTHF in her name.
In October, at the annual Lakota Ridge Jr. High Fall Sports Banquet,
Anne Morgan and Brogan Hill were named as co-winners of the Jeffrey T.
Hayden Memorial Award. In May, Freedom Elementary established the Jeff
Hayden Character Award that will be given out annually to a sixth grade
girl and boy that consistently demonstrate Freedom Pride. The inaugural
award winners were Alexis Blevins and Eric Meadors. Congratulations to
all the winners and for carrying on the proud tradition at these fine
schools.
Unfortunately, since Jeffrey died in September of 2004, nearly 500
children have died of the same type of tumor he had (Diffuse Pontine
Glioma) and another 5,000 children died from other types of brain
tumors. Each week another 3-4 children in North America are diagnosed
with a diffuse pontine glioma and there is still no cure. Life
expectancy is less than 12 months in over 95% of these cases. And, an
additional 40 children are diagnosed with various forms of brain tumors
with outcomes ranging from 12 months to live to being completely cured.
Surviving a brain tumor depends largely on the type and location of the
tumor. Scientists are working on the answers, but research requires
money and commitment.
Our mission is to provide factual information to parents so they can
make educated decisions regarding treatment options for their children.
We do that thru an interactive website and partnerships with research
and educational institutions. To help promote awareness we work with
various sports teams, such as the Detroit Red Wings, and other
organizations that focus on curing various types of childhood cancers.
Please consider making a donation of time, money or services to help us
defeat this monster.
Losing a child to this dreaded disease is tough for any parent to
handle, but what helps you get through each day is knowing that people
truly care and want to Make a Difference in the fight against pediatric
brain tumors. We are blessed to have so many family members and friends
dedicating time to help us in our fight. We thank you for your support
and understanding, and look forward to great things in 2007.
The Jeffrey Thomas Hayden Foundation is a registered 501c(3) non profit organization that was created to Make a Difference in
the fight against pediatric brain tumors. For more information visit our
web site at
www.jthf.org
|
