By: Lindsey Gross

Third Graders at Caughlin Ranch Elementary School Give Back to Children with Cancer

On March 5, two third grade classes walked through the front door of Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation bearing 27 handmade fleece blankets. The third-grade students, teachers, and parents came together to participate in a community service project making blankets to comfort children with cancer and their siblings.

“The opportunity to participate in acts of community service is one of the most fulfilling parts of teaching. The kids enjoy the process, and leave feeling so happy with what they have been able to be part of,” said Lauren Bogan, a third-grade teacher at Caughlin Ranch Elementary School. “Being able to teach giving back at such a young age is something that I hope will make an impact in the lives of our students.”

The third-grade classes submitted their project into the 2018 Dolan Class Project competition. Ten schools were awarded $2,500 based on the “creativity, overall involvement and positive impact of their projects.” Today, Caughlin Ranch Elementary third grade classes were announced as a winner of this award. See below their video submission for the competition.

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From the third graders at Caughlin Ranch Elementary School:

“I felt really good. It may be something small, but the blankets made a big difference for the NNCCF families.” – Aubrey

“I wish that I could go in their bodies and kill what makes cancer. I love making the blankets for the kids.” – Hannah

“When I made the blankets, my heart filled with love until it overfilled with love.” – Arjun[/one_half_last]

Madelyn is in the sixth grade, 11-years-old, and currently has a bald head. This is her third year shaving her head to support childhood cancer research at the Shave for the Brave event hosted by the Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation. Before each shave, Madelyn experiences a mixture of nervousness and excitement.  Although it can be a bit nerve-wracking, she does it in support of her grandmother who recently battled leukemia.

Madelyn’s mother, Laurie Bowman, explains that her daughter has a very special relationship with her grandmother, “Madelyn is a “mini-me” of her grandmother, Marilyn,” she said. “She calls her every morning and fills her in on everything.”

Madelyn is the captain of her team the “Shampoo Savers” and is driven to one day be “Knighted” on stage – an award given after shaving for seven years.

At the Reno event on March 16, 2018, more than 240 people shaved and nearly $200,000 was raised for childhood cancer research. The fundraising cutoff for this event ends in July.  If you are interested in helping NNCCF and the participants meet the $200,000 goal click here.

The annual Shave for the Brave event at the Reno Ballroom gathers participants from all walks of life. There are numerous reasons why people are motivated to raise money and shave their head for childhood cancer research, Madelyn’s story is just the tip of the iceberg. Many teams have grown over the past 11 years and one of the largest teams is Kylee’s Wish with 46 participants who collectively raised $38,365 this year.

Teams gather and work together to broaden their fundraising reach and inspire people to get involved. Team Kylee’s Wish and team Scientific Games hosted a barbeque, raffle and silent auction, and team Sparks Firefighters held a pre-shave for families, friends, and civil servants unable to attend the big event.

It is astounding to witness the support in the Reno, Sparks, and Tahoe communities for childhood cancer research. Childhood cancer is the number one cause of death by disease for children in America.  But thanks to research and better therapies, more than 80% of U.S. childhood cancer patients now become long-term survivors.
Here’s a video by Jason Bean with the Reno Gazette Journal.

Photography by Christine Davis

Kelly serves as Chief Legal Officer for Sight Partners. Having spent her entire legal career in the area of healthcare law, she understands how complex it can be to navigate the healthcare system and the importance of the NNCCF mission to support families in all stages of their journey. Kelly lost her mom in 2007 after a many-year battle with breast cancer, prompting Kelly’s personal commitment to honor her memory by supporting other families, and a personal understanding of how a cancer journey touches all aspects of family life. Kelly grew up in Minden, Nevada, graduating from Douglas High School. After finishing law school at UNLV and starting her career in Las Vegas, Kelly returned “home” to Northern Nevada, and has been on the NNCCF Board since 2014. She enjoys endless activities in the outdoors around Reno/Tahoe and beyond, whether that’s hiking, snowboarding, camping, or a day on the lake, and regularly strength trains, having competed in several powerlifting competitions.

Brandi is proud to be born and raised in the Reno/Sparks Area graduating from Edward C. Reed High School and the University of Nevada with a degree in Journalism and minor in Psychology. She started her career in advertising on the agency side of the business in 1998 and has worked on behalf of clients in the Health Care, Technology, Education, Arts, Real Estate Development, Travel & Tourism, Public Health, and Automotive industries. In 2017, she and her business partner started a performance marketing and media agency, concentrating on return on investment, attribution and analytics for complex multi-media campaigns in higher education, public health, automotive and real estate development. She and her husband, also a native of northern Nevada and retired Reno Fire Operator, are the parents of two teenage sons that they chase around enjoying baseball, football, hockey and whatever new endeavors the boys are interested in. Her family is deeply invested in NNCCF and grateful for all of the support it extends to families of pediatric cancer patients and survivors. She knows this better than most because her oldest son was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) in 2010. She was inspired by the work NNCCF did for families that were in all stages of their cancer journey and connected with other families that have gone through and are currently battling their children’s own pediatric cancer. Making a difference, no matter how large or small, in the lives of families fighting for their children is deeply personal to Brandi and she is excited to lend any help and resources she can to the NNCCF mission in northern Nevada.