Crabbin for a Cure Wrap-Up!

Crabbin for a Cure

 

The weather outside may have been frightful but the positive vibes and energy inside Mud City Crab House on Wednesday night were electric for our 4th Annual Crabbin for a Cure to benefit David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation.

We need to start with our hosts, owners and friends of Mud City Crab House: Melanie & Eric Magaziner and Ginna, Brianna & Bob Nugent. Our friendship with this crew started almost 25 years ago and was reignited during the 2011 Jetty Coquina Jam. They have been faithful supporters of the Foundation since day one and are responsible for our second longest running event with Crabbin for a Cure. Melanie Magaziner is going on her 3rd year as Vice President of David’s Dream & Believe and we appreciate the combined efforts from Melanie and Eric. Simply put, we would not have been able to assist the amount of families we have in the past 3.5 years without their support and friendship.

The Staff at Mud City Crab House is FAMILY! There are many reasons for the long waits to eat at this local landmark since the Magaziner and Nugent families opened the doors. However, we believe the amazing staff is tied at the top of that list with the incredible food. This amazing staff has volunteered their time and donated their tips back to the Foundation every year!

Our 4th Annual Crabbin for a Cure did not have an auction this year and there was a very good reason for that. Crabbin for a Cure has been a locals event since year one. It allows for local business owners and families to join together for a relaxing dinner with amazing friends after a long and very busy summer.  We value and appreciate the continued efforts throughout the year from those same local businesses and local families that allow us to carry out the mission of the Foundation. We want our supporters to know you mean the world to us!

Crabbin for Cure was created during a lunch meeting between Melanie, Eric, David and Jeremy from Jetty. We want to thank all of our sponsors starting with our longest local sponsor Jetty. Thank you: Jackie & Bill McCabe, Ocean Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Wellness Center, Sally’s Shrimp & Seafood, Panzone’s Pizza, Reynolds Landscaping, Anderson Insurance Agency, Thomas V Massa DMD & Associates, Walt McCollum Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Price Home Group, Art Puzziferro Builder, The Ruemeli Family, Ann Coen Photography, Speakeasy Pizzeria, Tuckerton Lumber Co. and Potts Excavating!

A special thank you to Kerry Beetel and his students from Piece of the Puzzle for making and donating the yummy homemade ice cream for dessert!

See you next year!

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

Survival of the Mills
Survival of the Mills

It’s always difficult to come up with the words to describe a new event because you cannot just say, “You had to be there.” It feels like we’ve been saying that a lot lately with last weekend’s Sing for Hope and now today’s Survival of the Mills! We try to maintain a healthy balance of diverse events so there is something for everybody while not wearing out our welcome. We are always mindful that your support comes directly from your hard work and we NEVER take that for granted!

Survival of the Mills was created by my friend and our race director Ross Reynolds. Ross and I had a conversation about doing an event together about a year ago when I saw Ross and his wife Marissa having dinner at Mud City Crab House. 12 months of planning and hard work by Ross resulted in an amazing day for the participants. Ross worked so hard on every aspect of this event to ensure it ran smoothly, was challenging and safe for everybody, and the participants all had fun. Mission accomplished! Thank you so much Ross!

However, Ross and I both know that an event like this one does not just happen without the incredible efforts from a Team of Volunteers! Since our inception as a Foundation in 2010, we have maintained that our David’s Dream & Believe volunteers are simply the best and today only confirmed that fact. Not only do we preach to the public that we have the best volunteers but we practice what we preach. President Tim Hall volunteered all weekend helping with set-up and breakdown in between competing and placing 16th overall in the triathlon! Our secretary Kelly Powers competed in the 5K today! Our event Directors and Survival of the Mills Sponsor Kristin Panzone and Jillian Elsasser (Panzone’s Pizza) and communications Director Danielle Corso managed the cycling turnarounds! Our youth Director and Main Event Sponsor Kim Manzella (Ocean Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Wellness Center) and her family managed the water stations! Our Directors serve the Foundation on a completely volunteer basis and their efforts are extraordinary on a daily basis not just event days! Thank you!

Thank you to our youth group Generation Dream families that manned the water stations & managed some of the race logistics for us today! We appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedules to support the Foundation & we love the kids who continue to “Pay it Forward!”

A special thank you to Ross’s wife Marissa for all her efforts supporting today’s event. Thank you to Tommy Craig for assisting Ross with all the race set-up and logistics.  Thank you to our sponsors for their ongoing generosity and to Fusaro’s for the incredible after-race spread which so many participants raved about.  A special thanks to our host, Wells Mill County Park and their staff, who delivered an incredible experience taking us off the beaten path of typical triathlons, duathlons, and 5k races.

Thank you to all the participants for competing today! We heard from cancer survivors participating in the event throughout the day and your courage inspires us!

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

 

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

Crabbin For A Cure presented by Mud City Crab House!

Crabbin For A Cure
Crabbin For A Cure

 

 

 

Our last major event for 2014 is Crabbin for a Cure at Mud City Crab House on Wednesday October 22nd. It’s one of our two oldest events along with Jetty’s Coquina Jam. We will be holding a special 50/50 raffle at each seating but no auction this year. We appreciate EVERYTHING our auction gift donors/sponsors do for us throughout the year and we never take your efforts for granted. We are asking you to join us for a relaxing evening of amazing food, cocktails and great friends with the best staff this side of the Mississippi! Please contact melanie@mudcitycrabhouse.com to reserve your sponsorship or seats today.

 

Thank you!

 

 

Sing For Hope: An All-Star concert to benefit David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation!

SING FOR HOPE
SING FOR HOPE

Cara Samantha created Sing For Hope as a way to honor her cousin Jamie who passed away from breast cancer last year. She also wanted to find a way to support so many families battling cancer today, including her cousin and Jamie’s brother Brian who was diagnosed with leukemia 1 month after Jamie’s funeral. Cara saw first-hand, the positive impact of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation within her own family. Cara generated light for others out of her own personal pain and Sing For Hope was born!

Cara invited all of us on Sunday October 5th to Toshi’s Living Room & Penthouse inside The Flatiron Hotel on Broadway in NYC for an afternoon of music, hope and love! The Foundation has never had an event outside of NJ, so we were looking forward to visiting NYC! Cara gathered together what can only be described as some of the most amazing Singer/Songwriters, Broadway Stars and Musicians in the NYC area. Their musical abilities were only outmatched by their beautiful hearts! Almost every artist hit the stage with their own heartfelt story of how cancer has affected them! Cancer does not discriminate! Cara, the musicians, the staff at Toshi’s and all the guests who attended Sing For Hope became an active participant in the mission of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation yesterday. We are all a part of creating a ripple of kindness, hope and love for our families who have lost somebody to this deadly disease and all our families living with cancer today! Thank you for BELIEVING in our DREAM!

Thank you to our host and incredible staff at Toshi’s Living Room & Penthouse inside The Flatiron Hotel.

Thank you to the most amazing group of artists who freely gave their time, talents and hearts to the cause. In order of appearance: Jennifer Sanchez, Andrew Mancilla, Tim Kubart, Lawrence Neals, Melissa Kerry Guttman, Shira Elias, J.D. Desharnais, Cara Samantha, Joline Mujica, Xavier Cano, Sarah Corey, Rebecca Flanders, Shayne Kennon, Jenna Miller, Adam Rennie, Anne Markt, Lynne Rachel Abeles, Michael Deleget, Jonathan Reid Gealt, Casey Erin Clark, Ruark Downey, Blaise Downey, Alan Shaw, Dominick Fallacaro, Jeff Kerestes, Sam Merrick, Andrea Longato and Mark Fifer!

A very special thank you to Cara for creating and bringing Sing For Hope to life and thank you to her husband Marc, Nikki, Heather & Elizabeth for managing the logistics of the entire day!

SING FOR HOPE!

SING FOR HOPE
SING FOR HOPE

 

SING FOR HOPE: An All-Star concert presented by Cara Samantha to raise money for David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation!

SUNDAY OCTOBER 5th 2014, 2pm-6pm
Toshi’s Living Room at The Flat Iron Hotel, 1411 Broadway, NY, NY 10001
Performers from Broadway, American Idol and more!

Please pre-purchase your tickets by visiting: SING FOR HOPE                         $22 in advance, including one free raffle entry ($5 value)                                                      $20 at the door, raffle entries sold separately                                                                            100% of ticket and raffle sales PLUS 20% of all food and beverage purchases will be donated back to David’s Dream & Believe on behalf of Toshi’s Living Room.

WHY? From: Cara Samantha

In 2013 my cousin Jamie passed away at just 35 years old from Stage 4 Breast Cancer leaving behind her husband Glenn and three delightfully inquisitive kids Kyle, Alyssa and Brandon, all under 8yrs old. Luckily, David’s involvement in Jamie’s journey allowed us to have a wonderful party celebrating Jamie before she passed. She was showered in love and kindness from over 250 family members, friends and strangers. We also managed to raise about $30,000 for her and her family in her final days. David Caldarella was an integral part in making this happen and we are all forever grateful.

Just one month after Jamie left us, her brother Brian was diagnosed with Leukemia (ALL). Multiple trips back and forth from NJ to Sloan Kettering, hospital stays, hotel overnights, treatment and more make for some hefty bills and luckily David stepped right in again to offer as much assistance as he could. Jamie and Brian are just two people from one family. One family who means the world to me, but one family that even David’s foundation can only do so much for. He is constantly helping people of all ages fighting all kinds of cancer find hope in their struggle by easing some of their financial burdens and giving them a little more light in their life. The more money we can raise for David’s foundation, the more families he can help thrive.

 

Please join us in NYC as we raise money to give back to a wonderful foundation whose mission brings hope and happiness to families fighting cancer in the New Jersey area. If you are unable to attend, please consider donating any amount and helping us spread the word.

 

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!

 

ROCKTOBERFEST presented by Beach Haven Moose Riders

Rocktoberfest
Rocktoberfest

 

Please join us this Saturday September 20th at the Beach Haven NJ Moose Lodge 1575, 120 Rt. 72 East, Manahawkin NJ 08050 between 1-6pm for the 2nd Annual Rocktoberfest presented by Beach Haven Moose Riders to benefit David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation with special guests: Fritz Electric, Wildcard and The 559!

$25.00 per person and kids 12 & under are free! There will be a bouncy house, video game trailer and face painters for the kids. Food, beer, wine, incredible auction items and LIVE Music! You can purchase tickets in advance at the Beach Haven Moose Lodge or purchase tickets day of event!

Our youth group called Generation Dream will be at the party selling t-shirts. Please join us on Saturday for a fun-filled family event that benefits our local families battling a cancer diagnosis!

Thank you to our friends with the Beach Haven Moose Riders for their continued support with Rocktoberfest and throughout the year!

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

 

 

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

 

I’ve been messaged and called repeatedly over the past week leading up to Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. “AWARENESS” has become an embattled word lately but I would suggest any awareness that brings attention to the lack of funding for Childhood cancer research is a VERY good thing. We only need to look to the most recent “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” to see the positive results from a successful awareness campaign. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge not only raised awareness for the disease “ALS” but raised an incredible amount of donations to fund future research.

All of us at David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation (DD&BCF) have personally felt the unyielding grief from Childhood Cancer with the loss of some of our dearest friends: Samantha, Rebecca, Gabby, Hannah and Miranda! There’s not a day goes by that I do not think about these amazing and beautiful souls that touched my life in such a special and meaningful way. I understand that sharing a gold flyer on your Facebook page, painting your nails gold for the month or wearing a gold pin may be viewed by some as meaningless or less than effective but I would propose those same ACTIONS could spark a discussion that leads to increased funding for Childhood cancer research. I feel comfortable saying with a high degree of certainty that the families for Samantha, Rebecca, Gabby, Hannah and Miranda believe any discussions or raising awareness that lead to increased funding for Childhood cancer research is not a good thing but a critically valuable tool in eradicating the words Pediatric Childhood Oncologist from the dictionary! AWARENESS brings your attention to a subject that you may not normally be exposed to and in this case it could result in saving the lives of children battling this deadly disease. My Facebook profile picture will be Gold this month as a way for me to raise awareness for the lack of funding for childhood cancer research but it’s also a way for me to remember and honor my friends that I miss so much!

Our youth sub-group called Generation Dream is dedicated to generating a ripple effect of kindness, hope and love for our families in NJ battling a cancer diagnosis. They will also be writing their local, state and federal representatives this month to ask them for increased funding for Childhood cancer research!

 

Sincerely, David

 

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!