Thank you to Sofia Hammana, creator of Pillow People, who held an open house in December along with donating beautiful pillow cases to Team G’s Hope Totes! These wonderful pillow cases will be going out to newly diagnosed childhood cancer families and they will be much appreciated! For more information, visit www.pillowpeople4kids.com
For Mia Barton’s 8th Birthday, she decided to forgo birthday gifts and ask for donations to Team G in support of childhood cancer research! Mia and Gabriella were soccer buddies a few years back. It’s amazing to know there are inspired kids like Mia to help raise awareness and support for other kids fighting cancer!
Long time supporter Erin Asamoto is another mom who set out on a birthday mission to raise funds for Team G. Erin has been a friend of Team G since the beginning. Stacey Botkin, owner of Circle of Friends also held her own Facebook online fundraiser. It’s advocates like this who keep this dream alive!
Patine on 41st Avenue in Scotts Valley hosted a charity event benefitting Team G and 9 other wonderful organizations! Thank you Patine and advocate Michelle Lesar for nominating us!
SEPTEMBER has always been an amazing month for Team G. It’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and things are happening to better the world for children and families fighting childhood cancer. This amazing group of moms has been key to Team G’s success in raising funding for childhood cancer research. It’s amazing what can happen when strong, passionate women come together to fight for a cause. Warrior Mama’s.
Bay Club Yoga on the Plaza- September’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month was kicked off by the amazing Bay Club!
Every Thursday in September, The Bay Club held Yoga On The Plaza in an effort to raise much needed funds for pediatric cancer research! We celebrated National Yoga Month with Bay Club joining the efforts of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month as we zen our way into kicking pediatric cancer! Huge thanks to the Yoga Whisperer for coming out and leading the class with her amazing yoga talent! Thanks to Kore Collective for being a part of the fundraising efforts!
Gals who Give- This is an amazing group of moms I’m so thankful to be a part of. Each month we come together and we each donate what we can to help those in need. This month Team G was the lucky recipient. We gathered fabric markers and pillow cases to give to children in the hospital because let’s face it, hospital pillows are pretty boring! Little gestures can make an impact
Girl Scouts- I love seeing the GS Law being fully embraced by Scotts Valley’s own Troop 15502. These amazing girls have donated $500 of the money they raised during cookie sales to Team G! Thank you girls and their leader Adina Licht for stepping up and promoting action! These lovely young ladies and their caring nature are fighting pediatric cancer and making the world a better place!
West Be Ready for Hope-Kayla Baumgartner A huge shout out to CrossFit West @crossfitwestready and Kayla Baumgartner @kay_baybay for hosting “West be Ready for Hope” in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month!!! And to all the athletes gettin’ their sweat on and kicking some pediatric cancer butt…you guys are AWESOME!! CrossFit is one heck of a community and we’re so grateful for you!
Continuing the tradition of our yearly bike rides, these five Team G advocates hoped on their bikes, pedalled up the coast, and raised funds for childhood cancer! Thank you Kris, Bill, Jackie, Troy, and Charles for riding to help children with cancer!
Jen McDonnell -Thanks Jen Beam McDonnell for sharing your story on motivation Monday! Childhood cancer can affect you in many ways. It doesn’t have to be your child, it can be your sibling, your neighbor, your child’s good friend. Jen used the pain she remembered from childhood to motivate her to help Team G and the fight against cancer
Jamie Kilpatrick -Meet Jamie Kilpatrick, mom, wife, sister, cousin, pediatric cancer advocate, and aunt of a child fighting cancer.
You might not know it, but there are many people around you affected by childhood cancer. Jamie is doing whatever she can to promote awareness and raise funds for childhood cancer.
Brittany Smith- Motivation Monday! Warrior Mama Monday! I never thought it would happen to my kid Monday! Listen to the lovely Brittany Bogard Smith‘s story. Any of us could be thrust into the horrible world of cancer. What can you do to promote action?
We are so excited and thankful to join forces again with The Bay Club for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Last year they helped raise an unprecedented $50,000 for Team G through events like Yoga on the Plaza…which is going on tonight! Grab your mats and stretchy pants and get out there to support the fight against childhood cancer!
Thank you Bay Club!!
Gals who Give-Fill the Tote Sometimes little gestures can have a BIG impact. We are so thankful to be the July beneficiary of the Scotts Valley based Gals Who Give. These busy moms gather once a month to embrace, celebrate, and give back to local non-profits.
As you know, we don’t only fundraise to support cancer research but we also fundraise to create Hope Totes, bags filled with info and necessities to help a pediatric cancer family during those first few days at Hospital. These awesome moms and kids collected notebooks, pens, markers, stickers, coloring pages, TONs of fun bandaids, and money! Little items like these can go along way to help a child and parent feel a little more comfortable during a stressful time.
Beauty Counter- Landis Babcock Ruiz We’ve been so lucky here at Team G Childhood Cancer Foundation to partner with Landis Babcock Ruiz at Beautycounter to bring you some high quality SAFE sun products while supporting the fight against childhood cancer at the same time!
Cocktails for a Cure- Michelle Riddle, Mike Hadley and the Groove
Last Saturday Team G Childhood Cancer Foundation was so honored to be a part of the first inaugural Cocktails For A Cure! We couldn’t have asked for a better night to come together with Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative to support groundbreaking work in pediatric cancer. The weather was perfect. The Hay Barn at UCSC was gorgeous. The drinks and food were plentiful and super tasty. And the message presented was poignant and on point. This night could not have happened without the dynamo that is Michelle Zeserson Riddle! Thank you Michelle for your selfless nature, for pouring your heart into pediatric cancer, and making a whole community of people more aware of the struggle. Also a huge thank your to Venus Sprits, Pono Hawaiian Grill, Pacific Cookie Company Santa Cruz, Goose’s Goodies, Discretion Brewing, Steel Bonnet Brewing Company, and the rocking Mike Hadley and The Groove band. All of these amazing establishments and people donated towards making this night as successful and fantastic as it was!
May 26th we would have celebrated our namesake Tianna’s 20th birthday. Happy birthday my beautiful munchkin!
“It’s truly surreal to look at pictures of you, trying to imagine what you would look like now at the age of 20. I feel at a loss for words when I look through pictures trying to find something that best captures the essence of you. If there is a heaven, which I believe there is… I hope you can still feel my love for you!”
May 8th– Nurses Week
We got to celebrate two amazing Pediatric Oncology Nurses!
Rita Maha
“My favorite thing about being a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse are the lasting relationships made with the patients and families. When it comes to a diagnosis that often requires many hospital admissions, you get to know families very well, and soon feel like you are part of the family. We laugh together, cry together, and celebrate the small victories. I’m constantly amazed by the resilience of the patients and families. The kiddos are so smart and their spirit is inspiring. They make friends, support one another, and teach me what words like “vlog” mean (or shame me for not having seen the Lego movie yet).
Telling someone you are a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse typically prompts a “wow, that sounds really hard”, and while there are days of heartache and blaming the world for being unfair, there are so many more filled with love, laughter, and kids who just want to be kids.
The nurses I work with are some of the most creative, funny, supportive, people I know. They’re there with clippers when a patient is ready to shave his/her hair, celebrate milestones, and go above and beyond for patients, long after their shift is done. They’ve taught me so much and I’m thankful to have them by my side.”
Kaila Bereton
“I love being a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse for many reasons but mainly because the kids and families I work with inspire me daily! The parents are so resilient and strong for their children and find creative ways to normalize the hospital by setting up treasure hunts on the unit or putting “The Hulk” stickers on the chemotherapy bags. The children are fighters! They will smile through pain after a procedure if they see the hospital dog wagging his tail, create an adventurous story to explain to the nurses why they need to have their dressing changed, and give the BEST hugs!
The bond and memories that I have shared with the patients and families I have cared for over the past 7 years has changed my life in the most positive way and is irreplaceable! My passion for caring for these sweet little warriors has lead me to my dream of becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner. I will be graduating from UCSF School of Nursing next summer and hope to continue to be inspired by these children in the future!”
Backpacks for Camp Hands and Heart
We are honored to be able to send these backpacks to the kids at Camp Heart and Hands of Jacob’s Heart! Thank you everyone who attended, supported and donated to Eat. Drink. Be. in December! And thank you Michelle Riddle for organizing such an amazing event! Because of all of you, the kids get these super cool backpacks for camp!
CYT Santa Cruz Theater- Angelic Navarro “Anything is possible when you dream”. We all know the tale of Peter Pan and the message of holding on to the innocence and enthusiasm of youth. Recently Team G was the beneficiary of an astounding and enthralling performance of Peter Pan by CYT Santa Cruz. The meaning of Peter Pan couldn’t ring more true in the world of pediatric cancer. We all dream of a world where children and families aren’t burdened with this horrid disease. We dream of a world where mothers and fathers aren’t forced to witness their babies’ last breaths.
Thank you CYT and Angelic Navarro, the most wonderful director of this amazing play. Your hard work has paid off this truly was a treat for all! And thank you for supporting Team G in our fight against pediatric cancer. We will keep dreaming of a day where all children can pretend fight with pirates rather than the real fight against cancer.
Bake Sale- Team G’s roots started in Scotts Valley and what an awesome and truly moving feeling it is to see our local kids #promotingaction! It’s incredibly hard raising kids, but know that you are doing a fantastic job if you’re raising kids that are empathetic, kind, selfless, and eager to make a change in the world! Way to go Aldana and Luckey kids! Keep up the hard work.
Mariela Rico, Claudia Cisneros, Kellie Dawn, Claudia’s daughter Leilani and lots of friends and family all ran the She is Beautiful to honor Tianna (Go Team Tianna!)
Vine Hill Elementary- Coins for Kids Cancer
The wonderful, enthusiastic, big-hearted students at VH collected nearly $3,000 in coins! Knowing that we are not only raising money for cancer research but also that we also raising some pretty awesome and giving children who are enthusiastic to change the world, it’s a great feeling!
Give Back Baskets- Give Back Baskets are a great way to show Dad how much he means to you! Every basket is filled with delicious Santa Cruz Local necessities and treats! AND Give Back Baskets donate 5% of the proceeds to local non-profits like Team G! This is a win-win! Thanks Give Back Baskets for supporting the fight against pediatric cancer!
Caroline’s Non-Profit- Team G was honored to be among the many deserving recipients at Caroline’s Non Profit Thrift Shop Annual Gifting Ceremony today!!! If you aren’t familiar with Caroline’s, please take some time to read about them and mosey on down to their shop in Aptos. They are affecting the lives of kids in the Santa Cruz Bay Area for the better and we are so proud that they recognized Team G’s efforts on behalf of the brave kids fighting childhood cancers!!
Woodstock Pizza Santa Cruz- Thank you to Woodstock’s Pizza for hosting a benefit for childhood cancer! We appreciate the love that this community has shown time and time again!
