Strong Like AK

11/08/2026

Strong Like AK is excited to be part of the Belmont Christmas Parade this year, and we’d love for YOU to join us!

Our volunteers, donors, friends, and supporters are the heart of Strong Like AK, and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate the season than bringing our SLAK family together!

Whether you’ve volunteered, supported our mission, or simply cheered us on along the way, we’d love to have you join us as we spread a little Christmas cheer, celebrate our amazing community, and continue sharing Adam’s legacy of love and kindness.

🎄 Tuesday, December 1, 2026
📍 Belmont, NC

Want to join us? We’d love to have you! Sign up using the link below:

https://dash.pointapp.org/events/862816

11/06/2026

✨A Special Evening for a Special Cause!

We are excited to share that Strong Like AK has been selected as the charitable beneficiary of the silent auction at Nellie's Winter Ball!💙

On Sunday, December 27, Nellie's Southern Kitchen in Belmont will host a beautiful, private ticketed evening featuring a Chef-crafted dinner, live music, dancing, and a silent auction benefiting Strong Like AK.

Our team will be in attendance, and we would love to see members of our Strong Like AK community there!

We are incredibly grateful to Nellie's Southern Kitchen for supporting our mission to embrace families battling childhood cancer by providing comfort, financial support, and lasting memories.

🥂 Sunday, December 27, 2026
🕕 6:00–9:00 PM
📍 Nellie's Southern Kitchen | Belmont, NC
🎟️ Tickets starting at $90
✨ Semi-formal attire

This is a private, ticketed event hosted by Nellie's Southern Kitchen, and advance ticket purchase is required.

🎟️ Reserve your tickets:
https://www.stronglikeak.org/community-events

10/31/2026

Adam wouldn’t have it any other way! 🎃👻

Be spooky. Be silly. Go ALL OUT!

Wishing everyone a frightfully fun Halloween from all of us at Strong Like AK! 🧡🖤

10/27/2026

💛 Once an Eagle, Always an Eagle! 🦅

At the end of September, Cramerton Middle School went GOLD for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and our hearts are still so full!

From cheerleaders and students proudly wearing yellow ribbon stickers and tattoos to the incredible kindness shown at our Strong Like AK tent, it was a beautiful reminder that you are never too young to make a difference. 💛

Throughout the football game, students stopped by to learn more about our mission and the families we serve. Some even reached into their pockets and donated their own snack money. 🥹 Those small gifts, given with such generous hearts, meant more than they could ever know.

Cramerton Middle School will always hold a special place in our hearts. Adam, his brother, and both of his sisters have walked those halls and proudly called themselves Eagles. It’s a school woven into our family’s story, and seeing this next generation embrace Adam’s legacy means the world to us.

Thank you, CMS, for going GOLD, raising awareness for childhood cancer, and continuing to honor Adam’s memory. Your kindness reminds us that his legacy lives on in the hearts of others and that even the smallest acts of generosity can make a lasting impact.

We will always be full of EAGLE PRIDE! 💜💛🦅

10/14/2026

Every cruise has a destination. This year, every mile has a purpose. 🚗

We are honored to be the beneficiary of the 14th Annual Topless Cruise, a beloved Belmont tradition founded by Denise Price Thomas and organized by Julie Galloway. For 14 years, this event has brought our community together for a fun ride through downtown Belmont while giving back to a meaningful cause.

Join us Saturday, October 24, 2026:

9:00 AM Gather and Register | First Presbyterian Church, Belmont, NC

10:00 AM Welcome and Cruise

All vehicles are welcome, convertible or not. Top down or top on, buckle up and cruise with us for a cause.

100% of proceeds will benefit Strong Like AK and support families facing childhood cancer through cost-free medical housing, financial care, and meaningful experiences.

After the cruise, we’ll gather at Nellie’s Southern Kitchen for breakfast, fellowship, and sponsor recognition. We are so grateful to Nellie’s for generously serving as the 2026 After Party Sponsor.

Register or become a sponsor today: https://www.stronglikeak.org/topless-cruise-belmont-nc

10/12/2026

WOW. JUST WOW. ❤️💛

We are still trying to find the words to describe last night’s sellout - 5th Annual Building Hope Gala All Hallows Evening Presented by Dunzo Roofing and Gutters!

OVER $250,000 RAISED FOR KIDS FIGHTING CANCER! 🎗️

There were tears. There was laughter. There was joy. And there was an energy in that room that we wish we could bottle up and keep forever.

In just about 30 minutes, our Live Auction and Fund-A-Need raised an incredible $138,000! Watching our community come together with such generosity and love was something we will never forget.

But beyond the incredible generosity, one of the most special parts of the evening was having families that Strong Like AK has had the honor of supporting right there in the room with us. ❤️

Seeing those families surrounded by a community that loves them, believes in them, and continues to show up for them was a powerful reminder of WHY we do what we do. They are the heart of our mission, and having them share this special night with us meant more than words can express.

To our amazing sponsors, donors, volunteers, vendors, and every single person who gave their time, talents, and hearts to make this night possible… THANK YOU!

What began as a way to honor Adam and continue his love for helping others has grown into something more beautiful than we could have imagined.

Because of YOU, more families facing childhood cancer will receive comfort, financial care, and opportunities to create lasting memories together.

Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude. We are humbled by the love this community continues to show.

📸: Mike Gibson Photography

10/02/2026

Today marks six years since Adam left us.

It’s hard to put six years of missing someone into words.

We miss his laugh. His humor. His huge heart. We miss the person he was and all the moments we wish we could still have with him.

But we also see Adam everywhere in the work of Strong Like AK.

We see him when a family has a comfortable place to stay while their child receives treatment. We see him when a bill is paid and a parent has one less thing to worry about. We see him in the smiles created through a special wish or memory. And we see him in this incredible community that continues to show up for families facing childhood cancer.

Strong Like AK was built from Adam’s life, his heart, and our desire to make sure other families feel the same love and support our family was given during the hardest time of our lives.

Six years later, his impact continues to grow.

Adam, we love you. We miss you every single day. We hope you would be proud of what is being done in your name.

09/26/2026

When we look at this picture, we do not see childhood cancer. We see Adam. We see that smile.

He is in the bottom right, at Scarowinds with his friends, laughing, being silly, and completely enjoying the moment. This is how we want people to remember him. Full of life, surrounded by friends, and making memories.

This is why we gather each year.

We gather not to let cancer have the final word in Adam’s story, but to celebrate the life he lived and continue the legacy he left behind.

Only 20 seats remain for our 5th Annual Building Hope Gala. If we fill these final seats, nearly 225 people will gather in one room on October 10 to honor Adam and stand beside families facing pediatric cancer.

To see a room filled with that many people because of the life of one very special boy would mean more than we can put into words.

Join us for All Hallows’ Evening at Gaston Country Club. Halloween couture is encouraged, but costumes are optional.

Reserve one of the final seats here: www.stronglikeak.org/gala or through the link in our bio.

Let’s fill the room for Adam and the beautiful families we serve. 💛

09/23/2026

Well, it’s official… the BOY won! 🐾🖤

Thanks to Natural Breed Kennels, this handsome guy will be joining us at the 5th Annual Strong Like AK Building Hope Gala on October 10, and we have a feeling he may just steal the show.

Now he needs a name, so drop your best suggestion in the comments!

And if you’d like the chance to meet him in person, join us for All Hallow’s Evening at Gaston Country Club.

🎟️ Gala tickets: www.stronglikeak.org/gala

Halloween couture. Dinner. Dancing. Live and silent auctions. And now… one VERY adorable special guest.

We can’t wait to see you there. 🖤

🎉THE BOY WON THE VOTE! 🎉

You voted, and this handsome little guy is officially the puppy headed to the Strong Like AK Gala!

Now there’s just ONE very important thing left to do…

HE NEEDS A NAME!

Drop your best name ideas in the comments! We can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with for this special boy.

Strong puppy. Strong cause. Strong Like AK