"Finding Cures, Saving Children"

One week from today, I'll be sitting in the lobby of Jordan's Furniture in Reading with a bunch of other volunteers behind the Jelly Belly store. The phones will ring and I'll answer, cheerful and willing to help out those calling even though I'll be straining to hear them over the hustle and bustle of music and people.

That's right - it's time once again for the Country 102.5 Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radiothon.

Next Thursday and Friday March 13-14, tons of volunteers will arrive and tons more people will call in to offer up one-time donations and become a more "regular" Partner in Hope. Steve and I have been Partners in Hope for the last 2 years, and I have to say that it is so encouraging when we get the pictures in the mail once a month detailing the stories of some of the kids we're helping. It's so heartwarming when you hear the quotes of the parents who are so grateful for the work that St. Jude does for kids around the world on a daily basis.

What does St. Jude do? The short version of it is that they help sick kids get better. Kids with major, catastrophic illnesses - mostly cancers - who without St. Jude would never have a chance to just be kids. They perform crucial research in battling these diseases and the work they have done has helped to greatly increase the chance children have to keep on living once they are diagnosed. I give to St. Jude because I believe that every child deserves a chance to live and BE a child. To enjoy the simple things like afternoon wiffleball games on a spring afternoon, or sledding down a hill on a winter's day, or jumping in leaf piles on a fall Saturday, or swimming in the neighbor's pool with their friends in mid-July. The things that most kids take for granted because they don't realize that there's an alternative.

I'm not going to beg all of you to give to St. Jude, even though I think it's a wonderful cause. I will ask you to give if you can. I'll post the number up here next week as soon as I know what it is so that you can call and add to Country 102.5's tally for the two days. If you don't want to call, and you want to donate, please feel free to go to the link in my sidebar for St. Jude and donate there.

If you can't give financially, there are other things you can do to help children who are suffering from these diseases. You can either pass the word along about the wonderful work that St. Jude is doing to your friends, or you can go to Make a Child Smile and find out how you can send your love to specific children in need of cheer.

Here are some links that you might find helpful.

Country 102.5 2008 Radiothon Site
St. Jude's Homepage
Make a Child Smile



Thanks for reading. If you're interested in a perspective other than my own, here's a perspective written by Tony Sirico (better known as "Paulie Gaultieri" on The Sopranos).

Quickie

Just really quickly, because it's month-end this week at work.

- Tonight is St. Jude's night at Chili's. They're donating 100% of their profits tonight to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. So - if you were thinking of going out to dinner tonight I strongly encourage going to Chili's. For more information on St. Jude's, I have a banner on my sidebar. Check them out, they do wonderful things for children who have devastating illnesses.

- Does anyone know anyone who needs a job? There's one opening up in my area at work. Email me directly if you know someone who's interested.

- I hate it when people litter.

- I love good weekends.

- Is anyone else having a problem with Good Reads today where if you pick a book to add to your shelves, it defaults it to your "read" shelf and you can't get it out? I tried to add 2 books to a "need to buy" shelf I created and it kept defaulting them over to the "read" shelf as well. I haven't read them yet! Good Reads is trying to make a liar out of me. ;)

"Sara Beth is scared to death..."

Today and tomorrow, Country 102.5 (WKLB) is hosting the Country Cares for St. Jude's Kids radiothon at Jordan's Furniture in Reading, MA. They are working to raise monetary donations to give to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. St. Jude's is a hospital whose sole purpose is the research and treatment of catastrophic children's diseases. Their primary source of funding comes from donations, a large portion of which are generated by radiothons such as this one and are held by various radio stations all over the country all year.

I have a strong belief in the work that St. Jude's does because I truly feel that EVERY child deserves a shot at their youth and life. Diseases such as the ones that St. Jude's treats strip children of their youth at such a tender age and cause them to deal with their own mortality much younger than they should have to - sometimes as young as 1 or 2 years old. If St. Jude's is able to continue their work, maybe one day these diseases will be at the least more manageable and at the very best eliminated or cured.

Steve and I started to donate last year when I volunteered at the radiothon and Steve signed up to become a Partner in Hope (a commitment to donate a certain amount or more each month for a 1-year period). When you become a Partner in Hope, you receive a mailing every month with a picture and brief story of one of the children that has been helped by the work that St. Jude's does. These mailings have inspired Steve and I to continue to donate, and this year we will be renewing our Partner in Hope in the memory of Lauren Liccardi. Lauren was a good friend to my youngest sister Becky who lost her life last year to leukemia.

Each year the radiothon hopes to beat their prior year total. I don't remember the exact number that was raised last year, but I know it was well over $500,000 during the 2-days. It would be amazing if they were able to raise enough money to beat last year's number during the next 2 days (March 8 & 9, today and tomorrow).

If you are able to donate this year, please call 800-963-HOPE today or tomorrow between 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM. If you are not able to donate this year, please keep the Country Cares radiothon(s) in your thoughts and prayers so that St. Jude's may continue their great work towards fighting catastrophic childhood diseases. And of course, keep the children of St. Jude's (and all children fighting catastrophic diseases everywhere) in your thoughts and prayers.

For more information about the radiothon, go to http://www.wklb.com/Events/StJudesRadiothon/tabid/186/Default.aspx.

For more information about St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, go to http://www.stjude.org.

To listen to the radiothon, go to http://www.wklb.com or tune in to Country 102.5 on your Boston-area radio.