Generation Dream

Generation Dream 1st Meeting - 6/25/2014
Generation Dream 1st Meeting – 6/25/2014

We want to take a minute to thank the Amazing Kids & Parents from our youth sub-group of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation called “Generation Dream.”

The picture to the left was taken at our first meeting on June 25th 2014 with 23 kids. We currently have 74 kids registered to be a part of this amazing youth movement within David’s Dream & Believe. The children are committed to generating a ripple effect of Kindness, Love & Hope for NJ families living with a cancer diagnosis.

In one year, the kids have been responsible for several fundraising projects including a Lakewood Blueclaws Game, Thundering Surf Funday, Kids 4 Change, Project Dream & Holiday Cornbread Sale with our friends from Shore Fire Grille. Some of the kids have created their own fundraisers: Domenick Crisalli asked his mom to do a wear your jeans to work day and he also sold some of his own clothes online to raise money for DDBCF. Hadley Magaziner raised funds for DDBCF with a couple of lemonade stands during the summer and Cuade Deely created our very stylish Generation Dream Socks which can be found on our website by clicking the Shop Tab.

Generation DREAM Socks

All of the kids & parents volunteered at a variety of David’s Dream & Believe events throughout 2014 including: 6th Annual Jetty Coquina Jam, Night at the Lakewood Blueclaws, Rocktoberfest, TGI Friday’s Regional Competition & Survival of the Mills.

Most importantly, the kids from Generation Dream planned and hosted a Holiday Party at SOMC for the Oncology Patients & their families. This was the culmination of an incredible inaugural year for Generation Dream and we could not be prouder of each every member of this group. A Huge thank you to all the parents of these amazing kids. We know without your commitment to the Foundation in driving the kids to meetings, events and fundraisers – none of this would be possible.

Lastly, we want to recognize one of our newest Director’s Kim Manzella who currently serves as our youth Director and is the creator of Generation Dream. Kim leads Generation Dream with her Huge Heart and is a wonderful example to the kids and to all of us of what it means to lead a “Pay it Forward” lifestyle! A special thanks to Melanie Magaziner, Kristin Panzone Jillian Elsasser and Dani Corso for their help with Generation Dream projects throughout 2014!

 

 

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!”