2016 Major Milestones

2016 Major Milestones

2016 Major Milestones:

  1. DDBCF provided direct financial assistance to 244 families, while countless more received emotional support, services and hope.
  2. A record-breaking $215,457.97 in ​Direct ​Financial Grants​ were distributed.
  3. DDBCF established a new Directors of Patient Advocacy Board, consisting of: patients, caregivers and medical personnel.
  4. ​Two new and highly successful DDBCF fundraising events were established in 2016:
    a) The ​Inaugural Frank ​A. Cosimano Memorial ​Golf Classic presented by: Bergen Risk Managers ​and
    b) Shave the Date presented by: Swing Graphics
  5. The incredibly generous team from Informed Mortgage’s planned giving initiative set an all-time DDBCF record for Giving with an astounding $24,375.00 donated in the year 2016!
  6. DDBCF welcomed 2 returning members back to the Board of Directors; Carmen Malatino and Kelly Powers; while three new Board Members Jason Cosimano, Steve Crisalli and former Director of Patient Advocacy Bill Raney were invited to serve as well. ​Office space for the Foundation was secured at 364 North Main Street, Suite 10D in Manahawkin, NJ.
  7. ​Director of Patient Advocacy; Lauren M. Raney (7/28/1977-12/16/2016) was appointed by the Board of Directors as our Inaugural Trustee Emeritus.

2011 – 2016: 763 Families battling a cancer diagnosis have received $621,813.06 in Financial Grants! 

All of us at David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation want to thank our patients and their families for inspiring us each and every day. It was an extremely difficult end to 2016 with the passing of so many loved ones and friends of DDBCF including: Mallory, Anthony, Virginia, Melissa, Michael, Phyllis, Layard, Alice, Patricia and Lauren. Our thoughts, prayers and love remain with all of these families. In the midst of her own battle with cancer, Lauren Raney proudly served as an original member of our Directors of Patient Advocacy Board in hopes that she could offer support to other patients battling this deadly disease. What Lauren may not have realized before her passing on December 16th is that she not only offered our current patients support and hope but lifted the spirits of any and every person that was blessed to have crossed paths with her.. On December 20th 2016, the DDBCF Board of Directors unanimously voted to appoint Lauren M. Raney as our first ever Trustee Emeritus. Lauren will be forever honored for her service as a Director of Patient Advocacy while all of us trust that she will eternally watch over and guide us on this journey.

Thank you to our Executive Partners at Informed Mortgage. Informed Mortgage’s planned giving initiative has set a high standard for charitable giving thanks to the efforts of Stephen, Christopher, Michael, Informed Mortgage Staff and all their customers.

Thank you to our community partners, sponsors, auction donors and volunteers!

Thank you to the parents and kids from our youth group, Generation Dream. This motivated, talented and compassionate group of kids are determined to make a positive impact in the lives of our patients and their families.

Thank you to students from our Southern Regional High School group led by teachers Ms. Rebecca Posch and Mrs Jody McLennan.

Thank you to our community partners, Dawn and Pete from Swing Graphics and Ryan Johnson from Ryan Johnson Photography for their help with photo, images and multiple revisions to content.

A special thank you to our Board of Directors (Steve Crisalli, Dani Corso, Kristin Panzone, Bill Raney, Kelly Powers, Jason Cosimano, Tim Hall) who serve the mission of the Foundation on a 100% volunteer basis!

Please take a minute to look back on 2016 with us in the attached summary of accomplishments. Please know that if you attended one of our events, donated an auction item, sponsored an event, volunteered or made an individual donation – YOU are responsible for providing HOPE to a family diagnosed with cancer that desperately needs our help. THANK YOU! Our Mantra for 2017 is: #WeWill

David Caldarella, Stage IV cancer Survivor

2016 Major Milestones

Pancake Breakfast with Santa

Pancake Breakfast with Santa
Pancake Breakfast with Santa

PANCAKE BREAKFAST WITH SANTA!

Please join David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation on Sunday December 4th between 8:00 – 11:00am at TGI Fridays Manahawkin for our final event of 2016. It’s time for our 2nd Annual Pancake Breakfast with Santa presented by our youth group Generation Dream and students from Southern Regional High School.

$10.00 includes one order of pancakes, bacon, sausage, coffee, soft drinks and pictures with Santa.

We will have Jetty printed DDBCF gear and our Southern Regional High School/DDBCF gear avilable at discounted prices for the perfect holiday gifts for family, friends and co-workers.

#ABeaconOfHope

Survival of the Mills Wrap-Up

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The Law Office of William Wright presents: Survival of the Mills

Not surprisingly, the weather was absolutely horrendous for Survival of the Mills yesterday and was probably the worst weather for an event in DDBCF history including our Inaugural Frank V. Panzone Jr. Memorial Cruisin for a Cure back in 2013. Horrendous weather for a DDBCF event is “Kind of the Norm” but this event takes place entirely outside with athletes competing and volunteers in this weather for the better part of 3-8 hours. Temps never got above 55 degrees, winds were steady at 20mph with gusts hitting 30mph and steady to soaking downpours the entire day.
However, and this is a big HOWEVER, that did not stop over 100 athletes from competing and did not stop almost 30 volunteers from volunteering all day in that horrendous weather to benefit families battling a cancer diagnosis!!! 
A HUGE thank you to Race Director Ross Reynolds from Trident Multisport and Southern Regional Middle School for creating, managing and directing a fantastic event in extremely difficult conditions. Thank you to Ross’s wife Marissa for her continued support and event day management. This event would not be possible without the combined support from Ross and Marissa Reynolds.
Thank you to Rebecca Posch who is a teacher at Southern Regional High School and one of the moderator’s for our David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation student group at SRHS. Rebecca volunteered all day along with approx. 25 students from our SRHS group. This was not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination so thank you very much.
Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor: The Law Office of William Wright. It was a family affair at Survival of the Mills for the Wright family. Bill finished first in his age group for the triathlon, his dad Dave finished second in his age group for the duathlon and Bill’s uncle Joe finished first in his age group for the duathlon. Bill and his staff at The Law Office of William Wright are the newest members of our Community Partner level of sponsorship. This level is reserved for businesses committed to the mission of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation with combined efforts of: financial sponsorship, raising awareness and volunteerism in excess of $10,000.00.
We want to thank all the sponsors for Survival of the Mills including our financial and food sponsorships. Thank you to Donna Carlson for all her support securing food donations, transporting them to and from and setting up our race-day food and beverage. Thank you to Pete and Dawn from Swing Graphics for creating all the graphic design for the event. Thank you to Ken Sullivan from Shore Promotions for our event shirt.
A special thanks to the 100 athletes that not only endured a challenging 5-stage triathlon, 5-stage duathlon or 5K course but extremely difficult and horrendous weather conditions. The tag line for this event is: You never know how Strong you are until being Strong is the Only choice You have. Our patients and their families battling a cancer diagnosis don’t have a choice in their battle against a cancer.

THANK YOU to everybody involved in Survival of the Mills including: race director, volunteers, athletes and sponsors who woke up and decided to make a difference in the life of a family battling a cancer diagnosis. 

survival-of-the-mills_sponsors

 

 

 

Survival of the Mills presented by: The Law Office of William Wright

Survival of the Mills
Survival of the Mills

Survival of the Mills presented by: The Law Office of William Wright 

Sunday October 9th at Wells Mills County Park

Please join us for the 4th Annual Survival of the Mills on Sunday October 9, 2016 at Wells Mills County Park. Thank you to our friend Bill Wright and his staff at The Law Office of William Wright for their Presenting Sponsorship for Survival of the Mills. Our friend Ross Reynolds from Trident Multisport is the race creator/organizer/director. Thank you to Ross’s wife Marissa for all her support!

We welcome The Law Office of William Wright and Trident Multisport as the newest members to our Community Partner Sponsorship Level. Our community partner level is set at $10,000.00. This is reserved for businesses, organizations and individuals that donate, sponsor, volunteer, raise awareness and participate in the mission of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation to offer financial assistance, services and hope to families battling a cancer diagnosis.

Register for the 5K, Triathlon or Duathlon by clicking on this link: https://runsignup.com/Race/NJ/Waretown/SurvivaloftheMills

Our student group from Southern Regional High School will be volunteering at various locations throughout the race. We want to thank our friends Dawn and Pete at Swing Graphics for all the Graphic Design for the event and our friend Ken Sullivan at Shore Promotions for the event shirt! Please join us for a fun and challenging 5K, Triahtlon or Duathlon at Wells Mills County Park on Sunday October 9th to benefit:

David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation.

5th Annual Stafford Run for Hope Wrap-Up

Domenick Crisalli - Run for Hope
Alyssa Antonelli - Run for HopeMaddie Beirne - Run for Hope11th Hour Racing Team - Run for Hope

The 5th Annual Stafford Run for Hope presented by Informed Mortgage to benefit David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation (DDBCF) was the first year DDBCF was involved in the entire event. It was a very good first year and look forward to many more successful Run for Hope events. The original Stafford Triathlon/Duthlon was created by our friend and Race Director Ross Reynolds. Ross and his wife Marissa put forth a yeoman effort and we cannot thank them enough for supporting DDBCF. A special thanks to Chuck and Danielle Schnell and all the volunteers!

Our presenting sponsor Informed Mortgage in Manahawkin, NJ continue to set the bar very high. Informed Mortgage’s planned giving initiative to donate $25.00 per every closed loan out of their Manahawkin office was started last year. The planned giving continues today with the end result being a tremendous financial support system for our families battling cancer. Thank you Informed Mortgage.

We had 2 Main Sponsors for this year’s Stafford Run for Hope event. The Law Office of William Wright LLC in Manahawkin and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. William Wright competed in the this year’s events and took home some award hardware. We want to thank our friends at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. ER Tech Mike Rowe is also the Founder of 11th Hour Racing and led the triathlon relay team to a first place finish in the relay division. The team consisted of Dr. Rich Massone in the swim, Dr. Katie O’Leary on the bike and Mike on the run. Mike formed this nonprofit to assist patients at TJUH in need of financial assistance. We look forward to partnering with Mike and the entire TJUH in the future!

We want to thank our student group from Southern Regional High School led by teachers Rebecca Posch and Jody Denn McLennan. We had more than 20 SRHS students volunteering on the day of event and additional students participating in the race. Great job & Thank You!

We want to say a special thank you to sponsor and creative artist for the 5th Annual SRFH: Swing Graphics. Dawn and Pete have been a huge support system for DDBCF over the past year and we look forward to continuing this partnership! Thank you to our friends and community partners at Jetty for printing this years event shirts. Thank you to local radio station WJRZ FM 100.1 for promoting this year’s run.

Thank you to our additional sponsors: Living Acupuncture & Healing Arts Center, BSR Physical Therapy, The Boat Shop, Rothman Institute, Advocare Orthopedic Reconstruction Specialists, Central New Jersey Oncology Nursing Society Chapter, Thompson Healthcare & Sports Medicine and Urgent Care Now!

A special thanks to Stafford Township Police Dept., DQ Events, Road ID, Surf City Lifeguards, Shore Brake Cyclery, LBI TriClub, Typestries Sign & Design, Stafford Township Recreation Department, Ocean County Parks & Recreation, Fusaro’s Pizza, Manhattan Bagel and Bagels & Beyond!

Last but certainly not least, we want to thank members of our youth group Generation Dream. These future leaders raised money on their own for our families battling a cancer diagnosis. We have collected $3,002.00 from this group so far and could not be more proud of them. A special thanks to Alyssa Antonelli, Domenic Crisalli, (Reese, Maddie and Landon Beirne) who collected almost $2,200.00 on their own! Great Job & Thank You!

5th Annual Stafford Run for Hope: Tri/Du/Aqua/5K

Stafford Run for Hope
Stafford Run for Hope

The 5th Annual Stafford Run for HOPE: Tri/Du/Aqua/5K will take place on Saturday June 18th at Manahawkin Lake Park in Manahawkin, NJ! This is the 5th year for the Stafford Tri/Du/Aqua event but this is the first year that David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation will be integrally involved in this event in collaboration with our friend Ross Reynolds from Trident Multipsort! We want to thank our friends at Informed Mortgage for signing on as our Presenting Sponsor. We cannot thank the team at Informed Mortgage enough for their continued dedication and commitment to better serve our families affected by a cancer diagnosis!

We are very excited that our David’s Dream & Believe student group from Southern Regional High School will be managing various aspects of this event for us and will have many students participating in the race. Our youth group Generation Dream will have many members and their families participating in this event.

We are also excited to announce a new partnership with 11th Hour Racing. This organization created by Mike Rowe who is an ED/Trauma Tech in the ER at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia where our Co-Founder David Caldarella was treated for Stage IV Head and Neck cancer. 11th Hour Racing’s mission is very similar to that of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation and Mike and David have created a friendship and partnership that will benefit our mutual families battling a cancer diagnosis!

We are still accepting sponsorships for the 5th Annual Stafford Run for Hope: Tri/Du/Aqua/5K! Click on Sponsorship Form link below.

Sponsorship Form

***Please click on the link below to register before prices start to increase on May 31st***

http://www.tridentmultisport.wix.com/stafford

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!

Southern Regional High School Donation Presentation

We were presented a donation check from Southern Regional High School at last nights Southern Boys Basketball NJSIAA SJ Group 4 Playoff game vs. Williamstown. This was a result of last weeks Southern vs Pinelands “Coaches vs. Cancer” basketball game. Southern went on to win the game last night and will compete against #1 ranked Atlantic City on Wednesday. You can listen to the game on 97.3ESPN. Thank you! #RamPride

Southern Regional HS BBall Donation to DDBCF
Southern Regional HS BBall Donation to DDBCF

 

Southern Regional High School

Congratulations to both the Southern Regional and Pinelands Regional High School Boys’ Basketball teams on competing and raising money to help “Fight for a Cure” New Jersey Coaches vs. Cancer game. The game was very competitive and both schools raised over $600.00 for 2 organizations, The American Cancer Society and David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation. We will be accepting our check prior to the Southern Boys Basketball NJSIAA SJ Group 4 Playoff game vs. Williamstown on Monday, February 25th in the 9/10 gymnasium at 6:30 pm.

Coaches V Cancer.Southern-Pinelands.2013