Hi Rally-ers!

Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!

These past few weeks have been busy in terms of our Rally grant applications! Our deadline to submit a grant application recently passed and following that, I worked to get the applications assigned to members of our Medical Advisory Board to review. At Rally, all applications for funding get reviewed by our Medical Advisory Board through an independent peer-review process to aid us in helping make the decisions for what projects to fund. This is especially beneficial to us as they bring their medical expertise to the table to help evaluate the applications and the research they are proposing to do.

We should be hearing back from our Medical Advisory Board in a few weeks so that we can work with them to decide what projects to fund. I am looking forward to sharing all of the projects that we do fund with you in a few months!

Rally On!

Lisa

The following blog post comes to you from our Rally Athlete Training Team Running Coach, Jason Ruiz. His blog is called Examine the Glass.

Let me tell you about my 2012 so far. Two weekends ago I went to Disney World and supported the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research. I am the coach for their Rally Athlete program, which trains normal people like you and I to complete endurance events, namely a half and/or full marathon.

As a part of this weekend, I met with 11 people who I had previously only communicated with via e-mail. I was able to put faces to name and running style to human beings. These are people who have been training for 20 weeks to complete a 13.1 or 26.2 trek through the wonders of Disney World. Not only did they train to do this, but they raised over $10,000 for Childhood Cancer Research. Inspiring.

While we were there, we partnered up with two other organizations, St. Baldricks Foundation and Caleb’s Crusade against Childhood Cancer. All total, I think we had over 40 participants in the races, raising even MORE money for a great cause. Inspiring.

Last weekend, I kicked off our Rally NW team in the FREEZING cold, windy and rainy day. We had around 40 people show up…they listened to me jabber on, ran a 5K and listen to me jabber some more, all the while shivering and probably cursing me under their breath. But they did it…why? They are raising funds for Childhood Cancer Research. Inspiring.

Inspiration can be found on many different levels, in many different ways. I’ve just mentioned several examples of what inspires ME right now. It inspires me to keep volunteering and dedicating my time for a cause greater than my own. Not only that, but it inspires me to make sure I keep my priorities in life. It motivates me to keep my balance so that nothing in my life progresses at the expense of another part.

Take a look at what inspires you. What keeps you going? Obviously something does, as you are reading this, thus keeping going. I have often found that the simple act of charity goes a long way. Whether what you give has monetary, sentimental or time value, it is giving something to help others. This in turn, helps you keep perspective on what you have.

Be grateful for what you have. What you HAVE should inspire you. Inspire you to get more or to give more. Oh, and here’s the big secret…the more YOU give…the more YOU inspire. Someone or something inspires you….you, in turn inspire someone else…the cycle keeps going.

Pay it Forward? Examine and find out…

This week we held our second committee meeting for Rally On the Runway, which will take place at Bloomingdale’s Lenox Square on Saturday, March 24. The planning for the show is really coming along and I am so excited for our Rally Kid models to experience this special day!

Enjoy the video from last year!

Rally On!
Christen

Hi Rally-ers!

Want a great way to start off 2012 while giving back to childhood cancer patients? Consider registering with the Be The Match Marrow Registry. This organization provides matches for patients needing bone marrow transplants worldwide by searching a large database to see if any potential donors are good matches for these patients.

A bone marrow transplant is something that many childhood cancer patients may need at some point in their treatment plan, especially for those that have blood cancers such as leukemia or lymphoma. By joining the registry, you may help out one of these patients get the life-saving treatment that they need.

During the month of January, the Be The Match foundation is allowing you to join the registry free of charge, thanks to the American Express Foundation. Since the test is quite expensive to run, this is a wonderful opportunity that American Express is providing to those interested in joining the registry.

At Rally, we recognize how important it is that childhood cancer patients are provided with the life-saving treatment they need to battle their cancer. We hope that this January many will register with the Be the Match Foundation so that they might be able to provide this life-saving treatment for someone in need, whether it be a childhood cancer patient or not.

Please visit BeTheMatch.com by clicking here to find out how you can join today.

Rally On!

Lisa

I was recently introduced to this blog which made me literally laugh out loud for all the office to hear. I know some of our Rally Athletes are hard core runners and some adhere to the reluctant runner model…but either way, these guys are funny!

Happy Tuesday!
Jenny and Kathi

Happy Birthday, Dr. Martin Luther King

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. (OK, I am not sure who they are but they do say it!) That is true but I could write ten thousand words about this precious picture of Rally Kid Alexa and her sister Jenna. It was taken this fall at Brasfield and Gorrie’s Cornhole Tournament that benefited Rally. Alexa passed away in 2008 after a horrific battle from side-effects caused by her cancer treatment years earlier. I love the smile on her sister Jenna’s face. The excitement of seeing her “sissy” was priceless. She ran up to Alexa’s poster and gave her a big kiss!

This picture says so much. It speaks to how generous corporations like Brasfield and Gorrie are to help us in the fight against cancer (the Cornhole Tournament raised more than $100,000!), it speaks to the deep love between sisters even when one of the sisters has earned her angel wings way too early and it speaks deeply to my heart to Rally On! Thank you Brasfield and Gorrie and all corporations who generously support the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research and thank you to all the Rally families who share their precious children with us. Together we will Rally On!

Rally On!

Hi Rally-ers!

New Year’s has come and gone, but as I reflect back on this past year and all that Rally has accomplished, I cannot help but acknowledge all that we have accomplished here at Rally. Every day, I know that the work I am doing at Rally makes an impact on those that we serve. I see this in the childhood cancer families, the researchers we support, and the volunteers and their dedication towards working towards our ultimate goal: finding a cure for childhood cancer.

This past year at Rally has marked a year of tremendous growth for our foundation. This past fall, we launched our first national campaign in partnership with Blackstone Winery, Corks Against Cancer. It was a big success and we will be announcing the grants provided to hospitals across the country through this wonderful program in the next few months.

2011 also marked a year where Rally was able to give away a record amount of money in research grants and fellowships. We gave over $700,000 to fund childhood cancer research projects at hospitals across the country and were thrilled to be able to do so. The projects focused on innovative and cutting-edge approaches to treatments for different types of childhood cancers. We commemorate all of the Rally-funded researchers’ dedication and hard work towards finding a cure as well as that of pediatric cancer researchers everywhere.

Not only that, but I feel so fortunate to have met so many Rally families in this past year and to have been able to hear all of the Rally Kids’ stories. All of us here at Rally truly think of the kids everywhere who have fought or are currently fighting childhood cancer as our heroes. They are the reasons we continue to Rally On in our work to find better treatments and cures for childhood cancer.

We celebrate the end of a great year with all of you and look forward to the many successes that 2012 will bring. I, for one, cannot wait.

Rally On!

Lisa

This past weekend we took a team of Rally Athletes to Disney World in Orlando Florida to run in the half and full marathon. We also had 3 athletes compete in the half marathon on Saturday and then the FULL marathon on Sunday! This was my first race weekend with the Rally Athlete Program and I was so excited to see what race weekend was like! We had a pasta dinner Friday with Caleb’s Crusade and our St. Baldrick’s Rally Athletes as well as our Rally Athletes and families. It was so incredible to have three groups of people in one room with one common goal. To fight childhood cancer. Madeline Gaffney shared her battle with cancer and thanked everyone (including her mother and father) for running and fundraising for research. Madeline shows such poise and grace when speaking in front of a room full of adults you would think she was 26 not 16!

We had EARLY mornings on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday but the athletes ran great races and the Rally families and staff were there to cheer them on every step of the way. It was so inspiring to see people cross the finish line and to not only have accomplished a very impressive personal goal, but to have done it on behalf of children who fighting and who have lost their battle with cancer was overwhelmingly touching! Thank you to all the Rally Athletes who came, ran, and helped to get us closer to conquering childhood cancer! We had a great weekend and can’t WAIT for the upcoming Georgia Half and Full Marathon in March!

Rally On!
Jenny

This past weekend, I participated in the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in Orlando, FL as a part of our Rally Athlete training team. As a former Rally Athlete, I have participated in races in the past, and most recently finished the Silver Comet Half Marathon this past October.

However, the experience was so much fun at the Most Magical Place on Earth! It was great to be able to run and take pictures with Disney characters along the way all while running in honor of our Rally Kids.

Though the thought of running a full or half marathon may seem daunting at first, I can tell you firsthand that it is not as hard as it may sound! Sure the training can be a bit grueling at times, but the end result is so worth it. Also, whenever I would feel as though I could not continue, I just thought of our Rally Kids and the struggles they face everyday as they battle childhood cancer, and I kept going on in honor of them.

So consider joining a Rally Athlete Training Team today. There are so many race opportunities that are available to you. I promise you won’t regret it!

Zerlina