Time To Give

It's December. The holidays are upon us. What a year. We sit here taking stock and we have so much to be thankful for, yet so much to fear. So much behind us, yet so far to go. As Andrew's treatment starts to wind down and, dare we say, become routine, we have the luxury, but also the responsibility, to turn our attention to what else we can do to help fight this disease.

As you know, we posted previously about the lack of attention and funding that pediatric cancer, much less Neuroblastoma, receives ( http://whatsnewwithandrew.blogspot.com/2008/09/two-posts-in-three-days-what-is-going.html). We won't belabor the point. What we do need is action. And it's amazing how easy and even fun it can be to contribute. Perhaps more important, the smallest donation truly makes a difference.

We have set up a Giving Tree for Andrew through Lunch for Life.

http://lunchforlife.org/family/givingtree.aspx?cid=588

The idea behind Lunch for Life is that if we all give up the equivalent of lunch for a day--$5--we can raise a substantial amount of money, which is used directly in the funding of Neuroblastoma research and trials. Bottom line: $5 will help save a child's life. The fun part of the Giving Tree is that for each $5 donation in Andrew's name, he gets an ornament on his tree. Give $10, he gets two. $25, he gets five. Once the tree is filled, he gets a present under it. It's quite an achievement to get a present under the tree and he gets rewarded with a real present, which has been donated. There is also a way for Andrew to receive double ornaments: Once you give, you receive a receipt with a Giving Tree Code on it. That code can then be used with another donation (feel free to forward your codes), which earns Andrew twice the ornaments. As Obama would say, Can we fill it? YES WE CAN!

Certainly, if you are able to donate more than $5, we are exceedingly grateful, but, again, any amount helps and is appreciated. Another approach you can take is to give up lunch on a regular basis--one a month, one a week?--so that you're donating $5 at a time, but it's really adding up in the long run.

In the interest of full disclosure, we should point out that there is something about a drawing for a Disneyland Dream Vacation for a child and his/her family. Basically, each donation in Andrew's name gets him an entry into the drawing. This has the potential to make Lucia the happiest kid on earth. No pressure, though....

To get everyone started, we have primed Andrew's tree with some ornaments and are listing his Giving Tree Code below for people to take advantage of. Please help fill up Andrew's tree:

• Please go to https://www.lunchforlife.org/Donate.aspx
• Make a donation using Giving Tree Code 31732.

You can view Andrew's tree here: http://www.lunchforlife.org/family/givingtree.aspx?cid=588

Thank you for all your support. We want to wish you all a wonderful and enjoyable holiday season. Take care.

Love,
Paul & Cynthia