JETTY | David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation

JETTY
JETTY

We want to finish off this calendar year by highlighting our business sponsors that have donated in excess of $10,000.00 in 2015 and have made a long-term commitment to support David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation

We want to begin with our friends at Jetty who partnered with DDBCF on the 2011 Jetty Coquina Jam and we celebrated our 5th Jetty Coquina Jam together this past July. This formidable partnership is dedicated to supporting the needs of our community. The benefit of this event remains female cancer patients and in 2015 local female business owners took ownership of this event resulting in the most succesful event in its’ history.

The entire team at Jetty is committed to supporting DDBCF and our families battling a cancer diagnosis! We use Jetty for all of our screen printing needs with our DDBCF gear.

We want to thank Jeremy, Cory, Paul, Craig, John, Eiche, Brad, Tony, Colleen and Dani for their continued support! Please support these sponsors that make charitable giving a part of their business plan.

 

 

2nd Annual Survival of the Mills Wrap-Up | David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation

Survival of the Mills
Survival of the Mills

Our 2nd Annual Survival of the Mills on Sunday October 11, 2015 brought together athletes, volunteers and sponsors for a “One of a Kind” race to benefit David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation.

We want to thank our friend & Race Director Ross Reynolds from Trident Multisport for another amazing race. Ross puts in a yeoman  effort prior to the event and the athlete’s can visibly see the attention to detail on race day. Ross knows that perspective very well being a multisport athlete himself (very good one at that) and he takes pride in creating a well-run event for fellow athletes!

Thank you to all the amazing volunteers and there were plenty of you for the 2nd Annual Survival of the Mills. A special thanks to Ross’s wife Marissa for managing registration in 36’ degree temps early on race day and managing the various aspects of the after party and awards ceremony. Thank you to Tommy Craig for working on course set-up with Ross Reynolds and overall management of race logistics. Thank you to Cathy Deely for working our race packet pickup on Saturday and road detail on race day. Thank you to DDBCF Board of Director members Kim Manzella and Dani Corso for working packet pickup, water stations, transition area and road detail. Our Board of Director members serve on a 100% volunteer basis in order to direct the largest percentage of funds back to our families battling a cancer diagnosis.

We want to acknowledge the presence of two youth groups at our 2nd Annual Survival of the Mills. The youth group for DDBCF called Generation Dream manned the water stations and swim transition area. Kai Manzella from Generation Dream even spent his birthday with us volunteering during the race. Our newest partner is our DDBCF student group from Southern Regional High School. Ms. Rebecca Posch led a contingent of 16 students helping out all day with various tasks. Awesome Job to both of these amazing youth groups! A special thank you to Mikaela McGovern for singing a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

We want to thank our sponsors who make a conscious decision to support the Foundation throughout the year understanding that their efforts have a direct impact on the lives of families affected by a cancer diagnosis. Ocean Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine, Informed Mortgage, Thomas V. Mass DMD and Associates, Volatile Media Management, Panzone’s Pizza, Swing Graphics, Barlow Buick GMC, Thompson Healthcare & Sports Medicine, Fusaro’s Pizza, Shore Promotions, LBI PBA #175, Ocean County Sheriff, Waretown First Aid Department, Walt McCollum Plumbing Heating & Cooling, The Arlington, DQ Events, Road ID, Ocean County Parks & Recreation, Joseph A. Citta Scout Reservation and Wells Mills County Park.

A special thanks to our athletes who braved some “brisk” early morning temperatures but certainly understood the greater meaning behind this race and inspired us all with their efforts!

The end result of a successful race is that our patients will be the ultimate winners thanks to the efforts of so many today! Thank you from all of us at David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation and see you next year!

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

2015 Hero of Hope Award Recipient | Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators | David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation

Sharon Gentry - David Caldarella - Lillie Shockney
Sharon Gentry – David Caldarella – Lillie Shockney

2015 Hero of Hope Award

Click here for Official Press Release

The biggest takeaways from an incredible few months being involved with the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigator’s “Hero of Hope Award” were the following:

  • The nomination from Elizabeth “Lizzie” Martinez RN/Nurse Navigator from Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, NJ meant the world to me because Lizzie represents A Beacon of Hope to her oncology patients at SOMC on a daily basis. It’s been a pleasure and honor to partner with Lizzie to better assist our oncology patients.
  • The selection of being named a finalist by the Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators was equally meaningful to me. This is a fraternity of amazing individuals that work tirelessly on behalf of the oncology patients and a group for which I have the utmost respect and appreciation. I witnessed their selfless acts of kindness and generosity of spirit during my own battle with cancer and continue to see those same selfless acts through the eyes of the patients of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation.
  • The 3 other nominees: Bonnie Addario, Susan Leighton and Paul Karpinnen. You can still read and watch their videos by clicking on the link below but I will tell you that all 3 of them are Heroes! All 3 of their videos brought me to tears and I was blessed to spend some time with Susan and Paul over this past weekend. Unfortunately, Bonnie had a prior commitment to an event with her own organization in Philadelphia. Conquer Magazine: Meet the Nominees
  • During this process, I got to spend some time with Gwen Coverdale and Bruce James. Gwen was my initial contact and interviewed Lizzie and me for the video. Bruce was responsible for pictures and video. I consider both of them friends now and their quality of work speaks volumes about them as people.
  • Many may or may not know that my girlfriend Catherine Deely is a breast cancer survivor. She’s also one of the strongest and most compassionate women I’ve ever met. She’s an incredible support system for me and a tremendous advocate for DDBCF so it was especially rewarding to share this entire experience with her.
  • I cannot thank all of you enough who voted, shared and spread the word about the nomination and voting. A special thanks to my medical team and friends at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for all your efforts in helping get the word out about the nomination and voting. You are all not only responsible for raising awareness for DDBCF throughout this process but also responsible for DDBCF receiving a $1,000.00 grant!
  • When my name was announced by Co-Founder of AONN Lillie Shockney RN as the Inaugural Hero of Hope recipient, my first inclination was, “Did I hear that correctly?” I was and still am humbled by the nomination and to be included with the 3 other amazing nominees. There were 10,000+ votes registered and am beyond grateful for the $1,000.00 grant to DDBCF which will go directly into the hands of a deserving family or two battling a cancer diagnosis. More than anything else, this nomination and award means “the little engine that could” known as DDBCF is being recognized on a national level for the “IMPACT” it’s having in the oncology community and specifically for its’ impact on patients and their families affected by a cancer diagnosis. This is a credit to our Board of Directors (Kim McCabe Manzella, Tim Hall, Dani Corso, Jill Elsasser, Kristin Panzone and Kelly Powers) who serve on a 100% volunteer basis and give 100% of their hearts; our generous and amazing sponsors who continually reach into their individual pockets and that of their businesses/organizations to support DDBCF; our selfless volunteers who give of their time and energy; our growing youth group Generation Dream and their parents; the newly formed Southern Regional High School student group and its’ teachers; Stockton University, Dr. Ai Zhang and students. Last but certainly first in the hearts and minds of all of us at DDBCF are the patients currently battling a cancer diagnosis and those brave souls we have lost to this deadly disease. This amazing group of courageous, strong and inspiring souls received that Hero of Hope Award this past Saturday!

 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul!!!

David

2015 Hero of Hope Nominees
2015 Hero of Hope Nominees

 

 

 

 

 

 

Survival of the Mills | Ocean Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine | David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation

Survival of the Mills
Survival of the Mills

We are excited for the 2nd Annual Survival of the Mills on Sunday October 11, 2015 presented by Trident Multisport to benefit David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation. Our main event sponsor remains Ocean Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Wellness Center in Manahawkin, NJ!  Owners Kim & John Manzella and their staff have been ardent supporters of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation since the inception of the Foundation. We also want to thank our friend & Race Director Ross Reynolds at Trident Multisport for creating this unique, scenic and demanding race.

Please visit Survival of the Mills for more information about the race and to register for this incredible 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

Event Flyer
Event Flyer

 

Rocktoberfest Wrap-Up | Beach Haven Moose Riders | David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation

Rocktoberfest 2015
Rocktoberfest 2015

Our friends at the Beach Haven Moose Riders hosted the 3rd Annual Rocktoberfest on Saturday October 19th to benefit David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation. This event takes place at the Beach Haven NJ Moose Lodge 1575.

We formed a partnership with the Beach Haven Moose Riders 3 years ago at our Cruisin for a Cure motorcycle and classic car event. We had horrible weather that day with blowing winds, cold temperatures and sideways rain. However, the Beach Haven Moose Riders made the decision to ride no matter the conditions because they understood our patients affected by a cancer diagnosis needed their help and they were not going to let them down. They continue to “Ride” for our patients throughout the year and Rocktoberfest 2015 was a huge success. We look forward to working side by side with the amazing men and women from the Beach Haven Moose Riders for many years to come!

We want to thank our friends at The Dutchmans for providing authentic German food throughout the day.

Thank you to Ted Hammock, The 559 and Either Way for donating your time and incredible talents to our Live Music stage for this year’s Rocktoberfest. A special thanks to Shamrock and Thistle Pipes and Drums.

Thank you to our host venue and members from the Beach Haven NJ Moose Lodge 1575.

Thank you to all the auction donors and volunteers.

A special thanks to Wealth Management Group and our friend Doug Chapman for your support!

Lastly, thank you to everybody that joined us for a day filled with great food, beverages, incredible live music and most importantly we all joined together to help the patients of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation battling a cancer diagnosis. Thank you!

 

Southern Regional High School | David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation

Southern Regional High School
Southern Regional High School

We were informed yesterday the that final approval was granted to begin a David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation student group at Southern Regional High School starting September 2015! We want to thank Rebecca Posch for not only putting in the effort to create this group but also serving as the advisor for this group. We want to thank Superintendent Craig Henry, the Board of Education and Principal Eric Wilhelm for supporting this DDBCF student group at SRHS.

The SRHS students will have numerous volunteer opportunities at DDBCF events throughout the year. The students will also take ownership under Ms. Posch’s guidance to plan and execute their own fundraisers/programs to benefit the families of DDBCF. Please look for sign-ups around school in late September. We hope you join this exciting new SRHS student group that is dedicated to paying it forward for local families affected by a cancer diagnosis!

Island Gala Wrap-Up | Thank You | David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation

Thank You!
Thank You!

THANK YOU!

We held our 3rd Annual Island Gala “A Night on the Boardwalk” on Friday August 14th and it proved to be our most successful fundraiser to date with a NET of $94,577.43! Our Mega 50/50 Raffle Winners were Angela Monafo and Taryn Parascand (Congratulations!) but there’s no doubt that the real winners of the night were our patients and families affected by a cancer diagnosis! Thank you.

We do need to thank a few people that were instrumental in making our 3rd Annual Island Gala possible. That starts with our executive committee in charge of planning and sponsoring various aspects of this year’s event. The Reynolds Family, Reynolds Landscaping & Garden Shop, Steber Family, McCabe Family, Catherine Deely and Board of Director Members Kim Manzella & Dani Corso. This group started its’ planning/management efforts in January 2015 and continued right up until the last item was packed up around 2:00am Saturday morning! It takes a monumental effort from a dedicated team to pull off an event like this one and this group was simply amazing!

Our Host Venue for the 3rd year in a row was our friends at the Sea Shell Resort & Beach Club! Tom Hughes, Jaimee Boyle and Brittany Solon treat the entire planning process, meetings and night of the event as if it was a special party for a family member and for that we are eternally grateful.  The resort is absolutely beautiful and the incredible staff make all of our guests feel like VIP’s!

Our sponsors play a critical role in the overall success of the Foundation being able to answer the increased number of patient requests. Thank you to our Cyclone $5,000.00 Sponsors: Reynolds Landscaping, Steber Family, McCabe Family, Informed Mortgage and Allied World Assurance Company. Reynolds Landscaping and the Steber family were also responsible for sponsoring this year’s amazing band Monte Carlo from Philadelphia. Thank you to our Himalayan $2,500.00 Sponsor: D. Finelli Construction and Congratulations to Dave and Laurie on the birth of their baby girl Lyla Marie. Thank you to our Carousel $1,000.00 Sponsors: Anderson Insurance Agency, G. Anderson Agency, Brandon Systems, Cosimano Family, Shannon Keyes DMD and Zelus Consulting Group LLC.

Our Auctions are always top notch thanks to the efforts of Cathy Deely, Kim Manzella, Dani Corso, Sophia Steber, the Reynolds Family (Peg, Katie & Ashley) and our extremely generous local businesses that want to participate in our events. A special thanks to Kyle Baddorf Executive Chef at Garces Trading Co. for not only producing one very successful auction dinner but accepting to do 3 of them!!!

We would not be able to hold our events were it not for the tremendous support from our volunteers throughout the year especially at this Goliath of an event. A special thanks to Tony Coon, Ryan Johnson, John Manzella, Nick Staub, Lisa Anderson and James Donahower.

Our guests (former and new) and everybody listed above demonstrated a genuine commitment to the mission of the Foundation and generosity of spirit that could only be described as inspirational! Our team from DDBCF walked away from this year’s Island Gala knowing that our Beacon of Hope will shine a little brighter for our patients/families affected by a cancer diagnosis thanks to all of you!

Mark your calendars now for the 4th Annual Island Gala on Friday August 5th 2016! 

Hero of Hope Award | David Caldarella | David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation | Academy of Oncology Nurses & Patient Navigators |

Hero of Hope Nominee  David Caldarella
Hero of Hope Nominee
David Caldarella
A Note From David Caldarella, Co-Founder & Executive Director:
I was humbled and honored to hear that I was selected as 1 of 4 finalists for the 2015 Hero of Hope Award by the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators. This nomination is very special because it emanates from Oncology Nurses and Patient Navigators who recognized the critical work and mission of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation. In particular, Elizabeth Martinez from Southern Ocean Medical Center who nominated me and who should be nominated herself! It’s very difficult to hear life and death struggles everyday but it’s a special person that rises above to help. Oncology nurses and patient navigators do that on a daily basis so to be recognized by that same group of amazing individuals is truly overwhelming! The recognition of being nominated is a confirmation for our Board of DirectorsSponsors, Individual Donors and Volunteers that we are making a difference in the lives of our families battling a cancer diagnosis.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Long Beach Island Resident One of Four
Nominees for National Survivorship Award

LONG BEACH ISLAND – A Long Beach Island man has been named one of four nominees nationwide for the Hero of Hope Patient Award given by the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+).

David Caldarella was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in April 2010. He learned his cancer was extremely aggressive and had already metastasized from his tonsils to the lymph nodes on the right side of his neck and down his throat.

“The news was upsetting on a number of levels,” says Caldarella. “I was in the best shape of my life and had never smoked. Beyond the physical, it hit me emotionally, socially, and financially. It literally changed my life.”

The next month he underwent a tonsillectomy and biopsy, a right neck dissection and transoral robotic surgery to remove the remaining tonsil and tumor. Chemo and radiation quickly followed.

“What got me through this was my family, friends, faith, the kindness of strangers, and the desire to create a legacy that would benefit others and make my nephew and nieces proud.”

That legacy took shape as David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing financial assistance to people who are battling cancer and can’t afford day-to-day necessities.

“I thought about the foundation constantly,” he says. “It would be 2 or 3 in the morning, and I would be trying to figure out how we would fund it, who we would help, and what it is we would do.”

In November 2010, Caldarella received the “all clear” from his surgeon and spent the next two years growing his foundation, which required overseeing four annual fundraising events.

“By 2013, we reached a breaking point,” he explains. “We surpassed our initial goal to help one or two families a year almost immediately. By the time I went full-time and became a salaried employee of the foundation in 2014, we were helping more than 100 people from across New Jersey annually.”

To date, David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation has helped 400 families and has given more than $400,000 in assistance.

As one of the nominees for the Hero of Hope Patient Award, Caldarella’s story will be featured in the August issue of CONQUER: The Patient Voice Magazine.

Voting to select the winner is now open. The winner of the Hero of Hope Patient Award will be announced in early October at AONN’s sixth annual Navigation and Survivorship Conference in Atlanta. The winner will receive a plaque recognizing his/her contributions to the cancer community as well as a donation of $1,000 made to the charity of his/her choice.

 

About the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators 
The Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators, Inc. (AONN+) is the largest national specialty organization dedicated to improving patient care and quality of life by defining, enhancing, and promoting the role of oncology nurse and patient navigators. The organization, which has more than 5,000 members, was founded in 2009 to provide a network for all professionals involved and interested in patient navigation and survivorship care services in order to better manage the complexities of the cancer treatment process. For more information visit www.aonnonline.org.About CONQUER: The Patient Voice Magazine:
CONQUER is the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators’ (AONN+) premier forum for patients with cancer. CONQUER features articles written by and for patients with cancer, survivors, nurse navigators, and other oncology team members. This magazine addresses the issues that patients, their family members, and caregivers face every day in an easy-to-read format. Issues include interviews with patients with cancer, information on access to care, and articles on lifestyle topics such as nutrition, stress management, personal finance, and legal and employer issues. CONQUER also features patient stories that are nominated for the AONN+ HERO OF HOPETM award, which will be presented at the AONN+ Annual Conference. All stories are compiled in a special issue of CONQUER at the end of the year. For more information visit  www.conquer-magazine.com.

About David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation

David’s Dream and Believe Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises funds to provide financial assistance and services to families primarily in New Jersey affected by a cancer diagnosis.  David Caldarella, Co-Founder and Stage IV cancer survivor, established David’s Dream and Believe Cancer Foundation in 2010.  His journey of living through Stage IV cancer inspired him to dedicate his life to helping other individuals, affected by a cancer diagnosis.  David spends most of his time being with these families and has been an amazing support person in all their lives.  To date, the Foundation has assisted 325 patients in 4 years, and donated over $300,000 to families afflicted by cancer.  Donations are used towards a multitude of services for the family battling a cancer diagnosis including financial assistance for medications, treatments, transportation, rent, mortgage and utility bills.

For further information, please visit www.davidsdreamandbelieve.org.

 

Gilooly Testimonial

A Beacon of Hope
A Beacon of Hope

A new feature on our Facebook page for David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation is our Tuesday Testimonials. This affords our patients, caregivers and medical personnel the opportunity to express themselves and to let everybody know what DDBCF has meant to them.

We were introduced to the Gilooly family by a very dear mutual friend Kristin, who asked if the Foundation could come to the aide of this family. Here is what the Gilooly family wrote to us about their personal experience with DDBCF.

“When I first got diagnosed with Cancer in the head and neck area, myself and my family felt not only scared of the unknown but alone in the sense that we felt no one really understood what we’re we’re going through.  I was directed by a close friend of David’s, to read his story/testimony and I was blown away how close it was to our story.  We both shared the same exact diagnosis and immediately we felt we weren’t so alone.  David helped my family and I resolve one of my hospital bills and it was not only timely but so appreciated.  We are so grateful for this foundation and have a ton respect for David and his relentless dedication to it.  David started working on this foundation when he was still going through treatment and knowing how I felt at that time, I can’t imagine.  David is a special man and he is truly doing God’s work!  Thank you for helping our family David.”

7th Annual Jetty Coquina Jam | All-Female Surf Contest | David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation

7th Annual Jetty Coquina Jam
7th Annual Jetty Coquina Jam

The 7th Annual Jetty Coquina Jam has been slated for Sunday, July 26th at Taylor Avenue beach in Beach Haven, NJ! This will be the 5th year Jetty has partnered with David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation which directs 100% of the proceeds back to female cancer patients in our community. This annual event has provided $30,757.90 in assistance to females in our community affected by a cancer diagnosis!

The central focus of Jetty Coquina Jam is to raise funds for DDBCF through celebrating the growth of female surfing. Females of all ages can partake in the contest (download entry form below) — Please note that surfers should be of the intermediate skill level and strong swimmers We also run a youth surf clinic after the contest in conjunction with Farias Surf & Sport, Jetty Team Riders and plenty of volunteers. ($20 donation / on beach sign up)

Lastly, we are only able to run this wonderful event with the help of our community and business partners (download a sponsorship form below).

Be a part of this awesome, fundraising event – see you at the 7th Annual Jetty Coquina Jam!

7th Annual Jetty Coquina Jam
7th Annual Jetty Coquina Jam

Entry Form

Sponsorship Form

Waiver Form