Columnist
Rick Patrick
Columnist
As you probably surmise from the title, this will be a little bit of a departure from our usual weekly visits. I’m sure you won’t mind too much. September has been designated as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. I first became aware of this issue when I had the opportunity to meet a delightful local youngster who had battled bone cancer. As a result, she lost her leg, but nothing could make her lose her warm spirit.
About that same time, I heard about a campaign called “Touchdowns Against Cancer,” which combined football success with raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The way that worked was people made donations for every touchdown the Cowboys scored that season. I was able to coordinate that local campaign and, of course, the Cowboys did their part and scored a lot of touchdowns. I don’t remember the exact numbers, but we were able to raise a lot of money for the kids at St. Jude. Since COVID, they have not had the Touchdowns Against Cancer campaign again, but the issue is still very close to my heart.
My birthday is also in September. I know many of you are wanting to avoid the crowds of holiday shoppers rushing out to shopping malls for that occasion. I can’t say I blame you. Here’s an idea for you that won’t cause you to deal with all those holiday shoppers. Please consider making a donation to St. Jude instead. I have learned that St. Jude is one of the most respected charities around; and they are making a difference. In the years since St. Jude has started their work, childhood cancer survival rates have increased from just 20 percent to 80 percent. That’s great progress, but it’s still not good enough. Please make your generous donation by going to the web site www.stjude.org.
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