At 18 months old, Zeke was diagnosed with AT/RT brain cancer and lost his life at 3 1/2 years old. The Zeke Dutcher Memorial Foundation was set up with Chippewa County Community Foundation to provide support, awareness, and funding for the fight against childhood cancer. Childhood cancer is very underfunded and we hope to make a difference. The Zeke Dutcher Memorial Foundation may be providing don
ations to:
RESEARCH
CureSearch for Children’s Cancer
http://curesearch.org/ or http://curesearch.org/About-Us
CureSearch for Children’s Cancer is a national non-profit foundation that accelerates the cure for children’s cancer by driving innovation, eliminating research barriers and solving the field’s most challenging problems. We fight every day to make treatment possible and a cure probable for the 43 children diagnosed with cancer daily. We do this in three ways:
o We accelerate the cure for children at greatest risk of losing their battle with cancer by posing essential challenges to scientists and inviting teams to overcome them with novel research approaches. o We support children’s enrollment in clinical trials that have the potential to save their lives today. o We provide resources and education, so no child faces a cancer diagnosis without a fully equipped support team behind them. Ultimately, CureSearch is working to change the odds for those children most at risk.
• Low administrative costs
• Donate to certain areas such as cancer research, lab supplies, support a young investors, research symposium, one week of research, acceleration initiative, support a new patient, webinar, educational video, family resources, educational podcast, mobile application, one week of treatment, one month of treatment, or six months of treatments: https://www.kintera.org/AutoGen/Single/SinglePledgeBasket.asp?ievent=1129512
In 2014, the first 5k held in Zeke’s memory raised $15,000 to send to CureSearch. Saint Baldrick’s Foundation
http://www.stbaldricks.org/
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long, healthy lives. We do one thing and we do it well: fund childhood cancer research. We take great care of the funds raised by our generous volunteers and supporters to direct every possible dollar to carefully selected research grants. Whether it’s through our signature head-shaving events, partnerships or advocacy initiatives, our primary focus is to have the greatest impact for kids with cancer around the world.
• Low administrative costs
The money from Zeke’s 2015 5k will be sent to St. Baldrick’s. SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Huron Valley (Ann Arbor)
http://www.rmh-annarbor.org/
Families Served: Since opening in 1985, the Ann Arbor House has welcomed about 600 families each year. Their length of stay may range from a day or two to several months. These families generally live at least an hour from Ann Arbor, and many have come from out of state and even from other countries. The capacity of the Ann Arbor House is 29 families, and each is afforded a comfortable sleeping room and access to the kitchen and pantry where they may prepare meals. Each family completes a daily chore to assist with the upkeep of the House. The cost to each family for all of this is $10 per night. While this doesn’t seem like much, most families are paying a mortgage or rent at home at the same time. We lived at the Ronald McDonald House for 3 months the first time, then, each time we went back for appointments, we stayed also. Give Kids The World
http://www.gktw.org/
The story of Give Kids The World begins with a little girl with a wish and the desire of one man to make that wish come true. The little girl's name was Amy. Amy had leukemia and one wish - to visit the theme parks in Orlando. To facilitate Amy's wish, the request of a complimentary stay was made to a respected hotelier. As he had done many times before, the hotelier gladly obliged and Amy's wish was that much closer to being realized. Sadly, the remainder of Amy's travel plans took too long to arrange and her wish was never granted; Amy had passed away. Time simply ran out. This unfulfilled wish inspired a man, the hotelier, to make a vow that no child in need would ever be failed again. That man was Henri Landwirth and his desire to ensure that Amy's story would never repeat itself is where the story of Give Kids The World begins. Landwirth enlisted the support of colleagues in the hospitality industry, including our world-famous theme parks, to assist him in bringing these special families to Central Florida within 24 hours if need be. He called the project “Give Kids The World,” because that is just what he intended to do - provide memorable, magical, cost-free experiences to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. As the program expanded and the number of families continued to grow, it was apparent that Give Kids The World would need to create a place that could better serve the special needs of our families. The gates of Give Kids The World Village opened in 1989. Today the Village is a 70-acre resort complete with over 144 Villa accommodations, entertainment attractions, whimsical venues, and fun specifically designed for children with special needs. With the help of many generous individuals, corporations and partnering wish-granting organizations, Give Kids The World has welcomed more than 134,000 families from all 50 states and over 75 countries. Kids can be kids whether they are sick or not. They can have ice cream for breakfast. Every child that visits The Village receives a star in the Castle of Miracles. Zeke was granted a Make-A-Wish trip and went to Give Kids the World and Disney World, Florida. Make-A-Wish (Michigan)
http://michigan.wish.org/
Make-A-Wish Michigan grants about one wish per day for a child with a life-threatening medical condition. We believe that a wish experience can be a game-changer. This one belief guides us in everything we do. It inspires us to grant wishes that change the lives of the kids in our Michigan communities. Jaden Lamb Memorial Foundation - Pay It Forward Jaden Style
http://www.jaydenlambmemorialfoundation.org/
Is a non-profit charity we have started to not only honor Jayden, but to also help families heal after they have lost a child to cancer. Our goal is to send families on a vacation somewhere to just get away. Have some time with their spouse and/or children. We know that a vacation will never replace the feeling they have of losing their child but we hope it can help them just take their mind off their everyday life. Losing Jayden we know how hard it is to walk by his room and see all his things. Knowing he will never come home to it again. Getting away will never take away the pain but it may make it hurt a little less for at least a week. Thank you to everyone that bought a shirt, bracelet, or even donated money. We have picked a family and hope to start planning their trip soon. They have a little boy about Jayden's age that passed away to cancer. It is our honor to put the funds that you guys have helped us raise towards this. We hope to help more than one family because the sad part is there are so many parents suffering right now because they lost their child. All donations are tax deductible. After Zeke’s death the Jaden Lamb Memorial Foundation sent Jim, Kim and Emma back to Disney World, Florida where Emma could be a kid and the family could start to heal as a family even though they were one member short. EUP Home Health and Hospice
http://www.euphomehealthhospice.com/
Hospice is compassionate care for terminally ill patients and their families. Live your last months, weeks and days to the fullest, enjoying peace and dignity in your own home. Hospice is a team approach to enhancing quality of life, managing pain and allowing you to make the most of time with family. Hospice also helps survivors when precious time with a loved one has come to a close. Hospice care is available to any person whose life expectancy is measured in terms of months. It is sometimes difficult to determine life expectancy, but Hospice is a good option whenever other treatment has been exhausted. Hospice is NOT about giving up, but rather focuses on quality of life and making the most of a patient's remaining time. Thanks to Hospice caregivers, patients and families can enjoy their time together while leaving the medical care to professionals. Hospice caregivers can come into a private home, nursing home, or even a hospital room. Hospice care is customized to meet each patient's unique needs. Every situation is assessed and, in collaboration with the patient and family, a plan of care is devised. That plan may include some or all of the following:
medical care via physician and registered nurse
24-hour on-call nursing, symptom and pain control, prescription drug assistance, physical therapy,
home health care services, volunteer respite, spiritual guidance, bereavement support. Zeke was only on Hospice for 3 weeks before he passed away, but the support system was amazing. They keep track of you after your loved one dies also by sending bereavement information to help you cope. This is a wonderful program, Sault Ste Marie is lucky to have such a well developed program.
