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!

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!