DDBCF Hires Kristy Koos, COO

David Caldarella and Kristy Koos
David Caldarella and Kristy Koos
David Caldarella and Kristy Koos

On behalf of the Board of Directors for David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation, I am excited and honored to announce the hiring of Kristy Koos as Chief Operations Officer (COO). Kristy’s skills and expertise are an ideal fit for our growing needs. Her humanity and compassion helps us better serve our patients. Patients and their families battling a cancer diagnosis are at the heart of everything we do. The hiring of Kristy ensures that we will be able to answer the increasing demand for support from those families. David Caldarella, Co-Founder & CEO

I am beyond thrilled to accept the position of COO. This compassionate team of leaders has a long history of serving patients and families affected by a cancer diagnosis. I look forward to working hand in hand with our partners and the community so we can build upon and expand the lasting impact of the organization. David and I share the same vision that patients and their families have and will always come first at David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation and it is an honor to be a part of this mission. Kristy Koos, COO

Photo: Michael John Murphy

Informed Mortgage

Informed MortgageOur friends at Informed Mortgage continue their creative planned giving campaign. Our hometown mortgage specialists have committed to donate $25.00 to David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation for every loan closed by their Manahawkin, NJ office!

We must thank the amazing staff at Informed Mortgage and their clients for their personal investment in our mission and dedication to bring HOPE to our patients affected by a cancer diagnosis!

Please contact our friends at Informed Mortgage for all your Mortgage/Refi needs by calling them today at: (609) 597-0007.

Informed Mortgage | Planned Giving

We want to thank our friends at Informed Mortgage for their continued support of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation and our mission to offer financial assistance, services and HOPE to families battling a cancer diagnosis. This creative planned giving initiative was forged by our Communications Director Dani Corso through her company Volatile Media Management.The Informed Mortgage Leadership Team, Staff and their clients are responsible for positively affecting the lives of so many families battling cancer. The result has been a record-setting and monumental donation of $42,375.00 to DDBCF over the past two years! These donations are used towards a multitude of items for our families including: mortgage/rent, utilities, transportation costs to and from treatments, medical bills and groceries to keep food on the table!

All of us at David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation appreciate and truly value the year-long efforts of the entire Informed Mortgage team and could not be happier to be partnering with them again in 2017! The Informed Mortgage Team has set the Gold Standard for creative planned giving initiatives but you can join Informed Mortgage as A Beacon Of Hope for our families battling a cancer diagnosis by contacting us today to learn more about Planned Giving and David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation! Please contact David Caldarella at: david@davidsdreamandbelieve.org

Please contact our friends at Informed Mortgage NJ for all your Mortgage needs by calling them today at: (609) 597-0007.

Barlow Buick GMC in Manahawkin | Cruisin for a Cure

Barlow Buick GMC in Manahawkin

 

We want to thank the Barlow Family and Staff at Barlow Buick GMC in Manahawkin for stepping up this year as the First-Ever Presenting Sponsor for the 4th Annual Frank V. Panzone Jr. Memorial Cruisin for a Cure on Sunday May 1st! We appreciate their commitment to support the families of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation battling a cancer diagnosis.

We cannot stress this enough but please support the businesses like Barlow Buick GMC in Manahawkin that make it a priority throughout the year to support our families affected by a cancer diagnosis.

Thank you to the Barlow Family and Staff at Barlow Buick GMC in Manahawkin!

Bengal Block Party | Barnegat High School | David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation

Bengal Block Party
Bengal Block Party

We are beyond excited for our Bengal Block Party at Barnegat High School on Friday May 15th! The event will take place from 4-10pm. This event has been in the making for a couple of years and we want to thank Teacher Ms. Schuler from Barnegat High School and her Interact Team for making it a reality.

Please join David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation for this Community-Wide event, supported by our friends at Jetty, featuring: Live Music (5 Bands), DJ, Light Show, Food, Vendors, Bouncy House, Games, Activities and a Walkathon!

We are thrilled to have students from Stockton University Service-Learning Program involved in our Bengal Block Party. The Stockton University Service-Learning Program is dedicated to Service with a Purpose!

We want to thank our friends at Jetty  for supporting the Bengal Block Party!

 

There is a $10.00 admission donation to enter the Bengal Block Party. Kids 10 and under are free! 

 

Bengal Block Party Team Sign-Up

Bengal Block Party Fundraising Form

Bengal Block Party Sponsorship Form

Bengal Block Party Vendor Form

Bengal Block Party Waiver Form

Bengal Block Party
Bengal Block Party

Featured Sponsor | Scojo’s Restaurant | Surf City

Scojo's Restaurant
Scojo’s Restaurant

We are very fortunate and blessed to have forged tremendous partnerships in our community. Our local businesses have rallied around David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation and our families affected by a cancer diagnosis.

Scojo’s Restaurant in Surf City, NJ are one of our main sponsors since 2011 and they continue that tradition year after year. Scott, Joe, Dawn and the Incredible Staff have sponsored various events including: Frank V. Panzone Jr. Memorial Cruisin for a Cure, Crabbin for a Cure and participated in our first ever Dine to Donate last year!

Scojo’s Restaurant recently returned from a brief 2 week hiatus, where they underwent some inside renovations to the restaurant, to unveil a new schedule serving breakfast and lunch only. We are hoping Scott & Joe will find a little time to relax with the new schedule and hope that all of our friends support Scojo’s Restaurant throughout the year!!!

ROCKTOBERFEST Wrap-Up!

Rocktoberfest
Rocktoberfest

 

We were approached by some members of the Beach Haven Moose Riders last night while we were putting the finishing touches on an absolutely beautiful and amazing 2nd Annual Rocktoberfest! The sentiment was the same and it was one of shared disappointment with the final $ total. Our friends at the Beach Haven Moose Riders have set extremely lofty goals for themselves and their partnership with David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation. Their lofty goals can only be matched by their enormous hearts! We informed our friends rather quickly that they’re making a HUGE impact in the lives of our families battling a cancer diagnosis! A tank of gas to and from the doctors/treatments can be a heavy burden for a family battling cancer! Rocktoberfest presented by our friends at the Beach Haven Moose Riders to benefit David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation raised approx. $9,000.00 yesterday, which will not only provide gas cards for our families battling cancer but also: medical bill assistance, rent/mortgage assistance, utilities assistance, grocery gift cards & incidentals.

The physical and emotional toll on the cancer patient and their caregivers are relentless. However, it becomes even worse when you consider the financial burden of a cancer diagnosis.  A recent study in the Journal of Oncology Practice titled: Impact of Financial Burden of Cancer on Survivors’ Quality of Life?, concluded Increased financial burden as a result of cancer care costs is the strongest independent predictor of poor quality of life among cancer survivors! It’s clear that financial strain has a very powerful impact on a cancer patient’s perception of well-being. David’s Dream & Believe is only able to support our families battling a cancer diagnosis because of events like this one!

We could not be happier or more proud as an organization to partner with an amazing group of individuals dedicated to giving back to the community like our friends at the Beach Haven Moose Riders! We would also like to thank: Beach Haven Moose Lodge #175, The Dutchman’s Brauhaus, Shop Rite Manahawkin, Party Crashers, Wealth Management Group, The Wandering Gypsea, Fritz Electric, The 559, Wildcard and Generation Dream. Generation Dream is the youth sub-group of David’s Dream & Believe committed to supporting our families battling cancer and generating a ripple effect of kindness, hope & love!

Last but certainly not least, thank you to our incredible supporters who attend our events and make the decision time and time again to donate your hard earned money to assist our families battling cancer. This is a gesture that never goes unrecognized in our eyes and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

 

Survival of the Mills presented by Ocean Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Wellness Center

Survival of the Mills
Survival of the Mills

 

We are excited to announce Ocean Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Wellness Center in Manahawkin, NJ have agreed to be the Main Event Sponsor for our Survival of the Mills event on October 12, 2014. Owners Kim & John Manzella and their staff have been ardent supporters of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation since the inception of the Foundation. Kim Manzella recently accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors for David’s Dream & Believe. All of us at the Foundation and our families battling a cancer diagnosis will be well served by Kim’s compassion, kindness, generosity and loving heart for others! We also want to thank our dear friend & Race Director Ross Reynolds at Trident Multisport for creating this unique, scenic and demanding race. We have been asked numerous times throughout the past 4 years, “Why don’t you have a race event to benefit David’s Dream & Believe?” The simple answer is we were waiting for that special event to come along and the right partnerships. We have found both with our 1st Annual Survival of the Mills and partnerships with Trident Multisport & Ocean Acupuncture!

One of Kim Manzella’s first acts after being appointed to the Board of Directors was to create a youth sub-group of David’s Dream & Believe called “Generation Dream.” Generation Dream is a youth group committed to raising awareness & creating fundraising projects for David’s Dream & Believe and generating a ripple effect of kindness, hope and love for New Jersey families battling a cancer diagnosis. Our Generation Dream Team will be heavily involved in this event as well. You will see some of them participating in the 5K race while others will be manning water stations along the race route.

Please visit Survival of the Mills for more information about the race and to register for this unique first time event!

Click on below attachment for more information regarding Sponsorship & Food/Drink opportunities. Please contact David Caldarella at david@davidsdreamandbelieve.org or Kim Manzella at kim@davidsdreamandbelieve.org to reserve your sponsorship!

 

“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have!”

 

Sponsorship Form

 

 

Boardwalk Fun Day!

Boardwalk Fun Day
Boardwalk Fun Day

 

We want to thank American Cancer Society of NY/NJ for entrusting Boardwalk Fun Day with David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation. We readily accepted the invitation to take over this event for families battling a cancer diagnosis. We want to thank the Seaside Heights Business Improvement District for making the event possible & Seaside Heights Boardwalk businesses that participated in the event.

We were so excited going into this event and our excitement was only confirmed when the first few families showed up to check-in. The kids had a sparkle in their eyes and the parents repeatedly told us that their families looked forward to this event every single year. For some, they attended Boardwalk Fun Day for almost 10 years and others it was their first time but the joy was present in each and every family.

David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation and Generation Dream are already looking forward to next year’s Boardwalk Fun Day!

 

6th Annual Jetty Coquina Jam Wrap-Up

It’s obvious that Mother Nature and David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation (DD&BCF) need to have a sit-down to iron out our differences. However the rain, wind, flooding and rough ocean didn’t stop the positive vibes emanating from the 6th Annual Jetty Coquina Jam yesterday! We had an amazing turnout and cannot thank everybody enough for their support!

A few special thanks need to be handed out and it has to start with Chief Executive Officer from Jetty Jeremy DeFilippis. Jeremy has been linked to DD&BCF from day one and Jeremy served on the Board of Directors for 3+ years. His tireless efforts on the Coquina Jam are geared towards not only running a surf contest on LBI that spotlights incredibly talented female surfers and local businesses but also raises money for a Foundation near and dear to his heart that directs the donations back to local breast cancer patients in need. We thank Jeremy and the entire Jetty ownership team for being committed to our partnership in the Coquina Jam. We look forward to many years working together for the benefit of our local breast cancer patients!

Dani Corso, Mike Eiche and the Jetty Interns deserve special thanks as well. Dani handled doubly duty for managing tasks including social media, email blasts, marketing, sponsors and various other aspects for this event for both Jetty and DD&BCF. Her commitment and dedication to both organizations are a credit to her unfailing Pay it Forward Spirit! Many of you may not know the name Mike Eiche from Jetty but you should – Eiche is the guy always behind the scenes getting the job done. Whether its printing hurricane sandy relief shirts for 16 hours a day or setting up/breaking down Coquina Jam – Eiche will always be there getting the job done! Thanks to the Jetty Interns for braving the elements and supporting the cause.  Thank you to Super Volunteer Matt Mancini for braving the elements from start to finish!

Thanks to Jon Coen for handling the mic duties all day long in very difficult conditions. I know we all look forward to hearing Jon narrate the Coquina Jam Event each year! Thank you to our Judges and support staff that manages the event for us! A special thanks to Randy Budd & Bill Machotka! We want to thank Mark Keeler from MK Productions for giving us sound all day.

Thanks to our amazing Sponsors and Beach Vendors! We have to mention those beach vendors that braved the weather yesterday: Liquid Bliss Yoga/Eden Eco, Farias Surf & Sport, Rodeo Bird, Living on the Veg, El Swell, Black Whale, Naked Juice and Red Bull!

Thank you to the Amazing and Incredibly Talented Female Surfers that came from as far as Costa Rica and as close as our event home in Beach Haven, NJ to participate in our 6th Annual Jetty Coquina Jam. These women hold a special place in our hearts because they represent the beautiful fighting spirit of our female patients battling a breast cancer diagnosis!

A special thanks to our Generation Dream Team that manned the DD&BCF tent today selling pretzels, water and Generation Dream shirts! Thanks to our director Kim Manzella for managing the tent for us today with Generation Dream. Thank you to Brie Fagan for bringing some of her beautiful handmade jewelry and flower crowns from her company The Wandering Gypsea to sell under our tent!

Last but certainly not least, A Very Special Thanks to our Supporters who continue to amaze us on a daily basis! You battled floods, traffic, rain, and chilly temps – all for the benefit of our local families battling a breast cancer diagnosis. Our patients currently fighting this horrible disease and those we have lost give us our daily inspiration. Our supporters give us the fuel to continue our mission.

Thank you to everybody that participated in the 6th Annual Jetty Coquina Jam from all of us at David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation! See you next year!