775-825-0888
3550 Barron Way #9a • Reno, Nevada 89511
The northern Nevada construction and trade industries came together on September 24th to share their knowledge with the public, their friends and families, and our youngest cancer warriors. Dozers & Dirt is a unique event where children are invited into the cab of heavy construction equipment to learn how to operate excavators, loaders, scissor lifts, haul trucks, and bulldozers!
Several local childhood cancer fighters and survivors were in attendance at the event, including Emma. She was interviewed by one of our local media outlets during the event and shared her joy for seeing so many kids get to learn a fun new skill.
We want to thank our event sponsors, volunteers, vendors, first responders, and especially our equipment operators for their support of Dozers & Dirt!
Special thanks to our event committee: Brian Barger, Brian Dosh, Dana Taylor, Eric Pender, Eric Schacht, Jared Hosefros, Jeff McCaskill, Jesse Steverman, Jessica Hiatt, Joe Vietti, Kevin Linderman, Leslie Skinner, Liane Cinkovich, Megan Noin, Mike Soukup, Molly Dillon, Ron Brooks, Russ Pedersen, Sawyer Bullock, Seth Alexander, Shirley Folkins-Roberts, Stacia Calvillo, Tamara Dethmers, Tony Guerra, Ty Rogers, and Victoria Mason.
September was Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and one of many events aimed at spreading awareness for the disease was the second annual lighting of the Reno Arch. Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation was proud to host families, supporters, members of our fire and law enforcement agencies, and our medical community and city council representatives. We were joined by Nevada Wolf Pack Football and Cheer, who helped our countdown to the lighting on the evening of September 1st.
On September 10th, Pulling for our Little Heroes celebrated its 10th year. Weightlifting and Crossfit enthusiasts compete in rigorous workouts named after some amazing young heroes battling cancer. Teams of four battled it out in an incredible show of endurance and solidarity for the battle children with cancer fight every day.
One of these little heroes is Sawyer, whose family has been participating in the Pulling for our Little Heroes event for several years to help support northern Nevada’s youngest cancer warriors. Still, this year the event was more personal. In 2021 he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, underwent several surgeries, and is now being seen regularly for follow-up care. This year we were presented a check for over $65,000, and the event has raised nearly $400,000 in ten years! Thank you to all the event organizers and athletes for ten years of support to NNCCF and for continuing to pull for our little heroes.
Jessica was born and raised in Reno, NV, where she graduated from Wooster High School and the University of Nevada, Reno. As the Events Manager, she will specialize in NNCCFs signature, community partner, and family events, as well as help represent NNCCF within the community to steward donor relationships. When she’s not working, she enjoys watching the Green Bay Packers, skiing at Mt. Rose, traveling, and spending time with her dogs, friends, and family.
Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation in partnership with Scheels hosted the 11th annual Know the Gold Radiothon earlier this month.
The event marked a special occasion, as it was the finale to the six month long fundraising campaign with a goal of $500,000 to be matched by the William N. Pennington Foundation. Our supporters topped all records and exceeded the goal by $105,000 thanks to the last minute additional matching goal from Panattoni Development, Alston Construction and an anonymous donor.
In twenty years, NNCCF has provided $5.6 million dollars in direct financial assistance to local children battling cancer. Donations to NNCCF assist Northern Nevada families by alleviating the financial and emotional burden of cancer treatments, travel costs, medical debt and loss of income.
“The Know the Gold campaign is an incredible grassroots effort to help motivate our community to support local children who are fighting for their lives,” said Fayth Ross, NNCCF’s executive director. “Thanks to our matching donor, the donations doubled, which makes an enormous impact to local families who have been affected by childhood cancer. We cannot thank this incredible community enough for all they do to support us and those who donated to help us reach and exceed our goal!”
The Know the Gold campaign is a community driven fundraiser that encourages local individuals, businesses, schools, churches and organizations to raise funds for children in the Northern Nevada region with cancer. It began in September 2021 during Childhood Cancer Awareness month. The campaign funds came from multiple events including a Christmas-themed horse show, a magic show, a blackjack tournament, a wrestling tournament, lemonade stands along with other events.
The Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation is the only non-profit in the region solely dedicated to helping Northern Nevada children and their families affected by childhood cancer. NNCCF’s programs and services include the Family Assistance Fund, Inspire survivorship program, Hope for the Holidays program and emotional support through No More Chemo celebrations and family activities. For more information, call (775) 825-0888, visit www.nvchildrenscancer.org or follow on social media @NVKidsCancer.
Know the Gold Campaign: A Huge Success!Last February, Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation celebrated its 11th annual Know the Gold fundraiser and radiothon hosted at Scheels in partnership with Cumulus Media. The event marked a special occasion, as it was the finale to the six month long Know the Gold fundraising campaign with a goal of $500,000 to be matched by the William N. Pennington Foundation. Our supporters topped all records and exceeded the goal by $105,000 thanks to the last minute additional matching goal from Panattoni Development, Alston Construction and an anonymous donor.
Know the Gold is a grassroots community fundraising campaign made of up small and large donations. This year it included funds from a Christmas-themed horse show, a magic show, a black- jack tournament, a wrestling tournament, lemonade stands, and more! We cannot thank this incredible community enough for all they do to support us and each of you who helped us reach and exceed our goal. In twenty years, NNCCF has provided $5.6 million dollars in direct financial assistance to local children battling cancer. Donations to NNCCF assist Northern Nevada families by alleviating the financial and emotional burden of cancer treatments, travel costs, medical debt and loss of income.
NNCCF received an incredible amount of support over the holiday season. We kicked off December 2021 with our annual Hope for the Holidays event. Thanks to 34 sponsors, we spread holiday cheer to 37 families and provided immense relief to families with the knowledge that there would be presents under the tree come Christmas morning.
Santa and Mrs. Claus came to visit for our Holiday Drive-Thru that was held outside of the NNCCF building. Thirty families received big Santa bags to take home, all while being greeted by Olaf, Rudolph and the Reno Fire Department Engine 6. Learning Express was incredible during the holidays! Between sending characters to a celebration for one of our Angels, assisting Santa during the Holiday Drive-Thru, leading a toy drive for our NNCCF kids and providing a generous cash donation – these dynamic ladies did a ton for providing help, hope, and courage to our youngest cancer warriors.
December also brought a visit from our special friend, Willie, who has donated truckloads of toys to our organization for years. Thank you to wonderful Willie. We appreciate all the happiness her gifts brought to our kiddos. Being able to see our families in person after the long-awaited visits due to COVID-19 precautions was a tremendous gift to our staff members. Spreading holiday cheer and putting smiles on our cancer warriors’ faces put so much joy in our hearts. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, donated and made all of the Winter events possible!
Meet EmmaThe author of “Holidays at NNCCF” article, Emma Johnson, joined the NNCCF team as our marketing intern in November 2021. This UNR sophomore isn’t a stranger to NNCCF as she’s been with us since 2016 when she was first diagnosed with both brain and spine cancer. Emma’s conquered cancer twice and aims to coach a university-level women’s basketball team someday. We love having Emma’s perspective, creativity, enthusiasm, and hard work on our team – THANK YOU, Emma!
Baseball fans and childhood cancer advocates joined together at Greater Nevada Field on June 22nd for an evening baseball extravaganza! Supporters played catch on the field where the Reno Aces play, got to shake hands and hear baseball stories from Mike Krukow, enjoyed an elevated ballpark dinner, and helped raise funds for northern Nevada’s youngest cancer warriors. The homerun derby wowed spectators as local legends battled it out, and we ended the night with a spectacular fireworks show. Local childhood cancer dad and Nevada Baseball Alum, Don Price, competed in the homerun derby and also took the stage to share his family’s experience after his son, Brady, was diagnosed with leukemia and received support from NNCCF. It was an honor to have Brady in the house to help shag balls during the derby and even autograph a bat for our winner, Blake Lalli, who hit eight homeruns!
Jayden is a funny and charismatic young man who beat cancer in 2019! He stopped by the NNCCF office for a visit recently to tell us all about his new adventures. He is a recipient of the Inspire Scholarship and is attending Western Nevada College for a degree in Fire Science. This summer he is volunteering as a rookie fire fighter for Carson City District BLM. We are so proud of Jayden and can’t wait to see what fun lies ahead for him!
AmazonSmile is a way to give to your favorite charitable organization every time you shop with Amazon. When you shop using AmazonSmile, you’ll find the same Amazon storefront you know and love, with the added bonus that they will donate a portion of every purchase to the charity of your choice at no additional cost. Visit smile.amazon.com to get registered and select NNCCF! The Smith’s Inspiring Donations program makes fundraising easy by donating to local organizations based on the shopping you do every day; all you have to do is shop at Smith’s and swipe your Shopper’s Card. Visit smithsfoodanddrug.com and sign in to select NNCCF under ‘Inspiring Donations’!
Brooklynn is a creative, kind 16-year-old girl diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma. Brooklynn, her mother, and her sister live in rural Nevada and travel to Reno for her weekly chemotherapy treatments. She recently had surgery to remove a tumor and is recovering with poise. Another year of chemo treatment and this beautiful soul will kick this cancer to the curb! This young lady is close with her family and is always wearing the prettiest earrings and outfits. She doesn’t let her diagnosis get in the way of her fashion or positive attitude. She is always a joy to be around, and it’s hard not to feel the warmth of her heart when she is near. This family has a difficult road ahead, but this young lady continues to battle cancer with grace and optimism.
NNCCF is dedicated to serving each family individually and strives to alleviate the financial and emotional strain that follows a cancer diagnosis. Since inception, the foundation has helped northern Nevada families with $7 million in direct financial assistance. We thank our community for your unwavering support of our youngest cancer warriors!
On May 25th, the North Lyon County Firefighters put on a different uniform. The team took over as servers at the Black Bear Diner in Fernley, NV and graciously donated tips earned during the dinner rush! It was a blast to watch the community show up and put them to work. When asked what they thought of the event they said, “We had so much fun working with NNCCF. It was our pleasure helping local children and their families in need during the worst times of their life. We look forward to making this an annual event! ”
Amelia is a kind little girl who was diagnosed with leukemia at age four. She loves playing with her brothers and sisters, and especially loves dolls and playing dress-up. This little warrior princess endured three years of treatment and in July of 2022 she conquered her battle with cancer and rang the No More Chemo Bell surrounded by friends and family! The Bell Ringing pays tribute to the hard journey Amelia has faced and is an important milestone signifying the end of treatment for her and her family.
Please help us congratulate Holly Aycock as she takes on the roll of Executive Director, we are thrilled to have her expertise and leadership. Holly joined NNCCF in 2021 after retiring from a 20 year career at the University of Nevada, Reno in the Athletics Department. Also, please help us welcome back Brigette Cole as she returns to her role as Programs & Services/Assistant Executive Director after a year-long sabbatical full of travel and time spent with family- ask her about Italy next time you see her!
Tournament of Hope
August 29, 2022
Montreux Golf and Country Club
Arch Lighting Ceremony
September 1, 2022, 6pm
Reno Arch, 345 N. Virginia St.
Dozers & Dirt
September 24, 2022
Rilite Aggregate Pit
Natalia’s Night
September 28, 2022
Various Locations
Alston Construction | Ames Construction | Bonanno Concrete, Inc. | Capital Glass, Inc. | Cashman Equipment | CBRE | Ferroni Foundation, Inc. | Granite Construction | J.A.G. Plumbing MDB Trucking | MN|G | Panattoni Development | Panelized Structures, Inc. | Renown Health Foundation | The Roberts Family | Saint Mary’s Fitness Center | Sierra Nevada Construction | Tectonics Design Group | Turner Construction | The Medical Profession The Phillips Family Foundation | The Row | Umpqua Bank | Vasko Electric, Inc. | Victory Woodworks | Washoe County Sheriff’s Office | Wood Rodgers
[button text=”Download the Summer 2022 Newsletter here” link=”https://www.nvchildrenscancer.org/wp-content/uploads/NNCCF-Newsletter-Summer-2022-for-web-1.pdf”]
Know the Gold Campaign
January 27, 2023, was the finale of our Know the Gold Campaign. This 6-month campaign started September 1, 2022, when we lit the Reno Arch Gold for childhood cancer awareness month. Our goal was to raise $500,000 as the William N. Pennington Foundation would match donations dollar-fordollar up to $500,000. We not only hit our goal, www.nvchildrenscancer.org | 775-825-0888 | @nvkidscancer | info@nvchildrenscancer.orgbut surpassed it because of this fantastic community. More than 1,200 donors made this possible. Thank you to everyone who helped our efforts these last six months. You hosted golf tournaments, weightlifting and fitness competitions, coin drives, lemonade stands and helped raise awareness. Because of you, we are able to provide financial and emotional support for children with cancer in northern Nevada. Thank you to our sponsors, including Scheels, KBUL 98.1, KOH 780 News Talk, Wild 102.9, and 95.5 The Vibe. Most importantly, thank you to the William N. Pennington Foundation!
Celebrating the Holidays NNCCF Style
The NNCCF team is still reveling in the joy that was had during the holidays. Thank you to everyone who sponsored a family during the 2022 Hope for the Holidays program. We are grateful to our northern Nevada community for making this holiday season so special for young childhood cancer warriors and their families. Thirty-one sponsors adopted families and helped give the joy of the season to 44 families with a new diagnosis and in active treatment. The sponsors ensured that everyone in the house received gifts beautifully wrapped under the tree.
Community Partner Spotlight
On February 1st, 2023, Bethlehem Lutheran School invited NNCCF to Carson City to celebrate their 7th Annual Penny Wars. The students have held this friendly competition since 2017; each grade competes against the other for pride and bragging rights. The class totals are determined by students depositing pennies in their class jar for a positive addition to their total, and silver change into other classes to drop their total negatively. Since this tradition began, Bethlehem Lutheran School has raised more than $34,000 for childhood cancer warriors and proves that every penny counts. When asked what hosting this event means to the school, the staff and students said, “Hearing the results of our week of fundraising is the highlight of our year and our National Lutheran Schools Week celebration.” This annual event is an excellent example of an NNCCF community partner. We love to see kids helping kids!
To become a community partner contact: Tiffany@nnccf.org
The 2nd Annual Take a Swing at Childhood Cancer was a huge success!
A little rain was not enough to slow down the fun at the 2nd Annual Take a Swing at Childhood Cancer. NNCCF families reveled in the chance to mingle with former major leaguers, Reno Aces players, and Nevada Wolf Pack players and alums. San Francisco Giants broadcaster and all-star pitcher Mike Krukow warmed up the crowd with stories from his career and personal life. Former Nevada Wolf Pack softball star Britton Murdock Nunn surprised the field by winning the Home Run Derby. A silent auction and dazzling fireworks show capped off this successful evening. Our thanks to everyone who braved the weather and supported the show. NNCCF was pleased to host 50 tables for the event.
It’s always a treat when a diehard baseball fan meets his idol. Such was the case at the NNCCF Take a Swing at Childhood Cancer event, when 25-year-old Ian met with San Francisco Giants broadcaster and former all-star pitcher Mike Krukow. Ian, a Down Syndrome warrior who was recently diagnosed with leukemia, has not let this interfere with his love of baseball. He is a San Francisco Giants super-fan and keeps track of all their players, statistics, and games. He is also an alum of UNR’s Path to Independence program. Our thanks to Ian for throwing the first pitch and to Mike Krukow for making Ian’s night so special!
INSPIRE!
On June 19th, the NNCCF team awarded Inspire Scholarships to 28 young cancer warriors. The scholarships will support their continued college, trade, or vocational education. Each of these winners wrote essays about how their experience with cancer impacted the pursuit of both their academic and personal goals. The result was an inspirational collection of stories that demonstrated the courage, determination, and hard work of these amazing young people. We are grateful to all the donors who made these scholarships possible. We look forward to watching these winners continue to work towards their dreams!
Community Partner Spotlight
Hats off to The 395 Craft Beer and Spirits for supporting NNCCF through Thursdays on the Blacktop at the North Valleys Shopping Center. They parked the 395 Beer Trailer at the event and donated the proceeds to NNCCF, raising $5,000.00! Participants also enjoyed food trucks, raffles, and an evening of live music. It was a great way to have fun while raising funds that support our northern Nevada families. We hope to see everyone back on the Blacktop next summer!
If your business would like to learn more about becoming a community partner, email Tiffany at Tiffany@nnccf.org.
Remembering Renate
With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of NNCCF pioneer, Renate Neumann, just a few days following her 84th birthday. Renate and her husband, Peter, helped establish and support the Angel Kiss Foundation, which merged into the Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation in 2009. As a skilled pilot, Renate loved the outdoors and spent much of her time skiing, scuba diving, and backpacking. Renate was a gifted portrait and landscape artist who loved – and was loved – by all who were fortunate to know her. On behalf of the childhood cancer community, we will be forever grateful for her efforts in establishing support services for northern Nevada’s youngest cancer warriors.
Shave for the Brave
The 18th Annual Shave for the Brave was a huge success!
Thank you to everyone who joined us at our 18th Annual Shave for the Brave! The evening was amazing, and 175 heads were shaved and $154,500 was raised. The NNCCF team is still reveling in the love and bravery they experienced. It was very powerful to see men, women, and children choosing to shave their heads in support of what childhood cancer warriors often don’t have a choice in.
Every year around St. Patrick’s Day, we ask the community to “Shave for the Brave” and go bald to support childhood cancer research. In partnership with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, NNCCF’s Annual Shave for the Brave events have raised over $3.3 million since 2006. We have shaved more than 4,000 local heads! Part of NNCCF’s mission is to advocate for increased research funds, hoping that one day our kids will be cancer-free.
Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Introducing Queen Era!
This is sweet Era. Her family came together to shave in solidarity with her when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. No one fights alone in this family, and the NNCCF team couldn’t agree more. The warriors that we assist become part of the NNCCF family, which is why we really want a cure!
This warrior had the honor of knighting the League of Legendary Heroes at our 18th Annual Shave for the Brave. Each year we have one of our kiddos on stage to honor those who have participated three or more years at our event. This year, Era’s parents made this one-of-a-kind sword for the ceremony. It’s never too late to start your journey to knighthood; mark your calendars for next year’s event on March 4th, 2023 and shave your head for childhood cancer research!
Casey’s Closet
Please help us celebrate our Board President, Casey Stiteler. In 2001 Casey was diagnosed with a brain tumor. In 2014, along with the help of his parents, Casey formed the non-profit Casey’s Project, which provided toys, books, stuffed animals, laptops, and video equipment and donated them to hospital pediatric wards. In 2017 Casey’s Project was dissolved, and they donated the remainder of the funds to NNCCF. Our extensive toy closet offers an escape from treatment and a way to reconnect. Children battling cancer are encouraged to choose a new toy from the closet when they visit. Seeing the joy this brings is genuinely heartwarming. We honor Casey’s Project and dedicate the toy closet in our office to him by naming it Casey’s Closet.
2023 Action Days!
Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation (NNCCF) Co-Founder and Board member Shirley Folkins-Roberts, Assistant Executive Director Brigette Cole, and two NNCCF families joined with over 300 childhood cancer advocates nationwide to request funding for pediatric cancer. They participated in the 2023 Childhood Cancer Action Days at Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress and ask them to fully fund the Childhood Cancer Star Act and Childhood Cancer Data Initiative for another year. We were thrilled to be joined by the Tyler Robinson Foundation to unite northern and southern Nevada foundations and families to share their stories and the importance of research and funding for childhood cancer. With increased funding, treatments will become more targeted, and we will get closer to finding a cure as a nation.
Attendee Caleb, diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at 14, says, “It’s been inspirational to meet with our congressional representatives and see their concern for our journeys and requests for better treatment.”
Community Partner Spotlight
On April 24th, 2023, the Washoe County Sherriff’s Office hosted the 11th Annual Guns and Hoses Golf Tournament. This was a record-breaking year! We also want to thank everyone who contributed to helping this event run smoothly and all the participants. Shout out to our young warrior Tyler as he shared his journey to kick off the day’s festivities. Our love for this community partner event runs deep as it is a friendly competition between the local Sherriff’s office and fire stations to fundraise for childhood cancer! It was great seeing Tyler play alongside our first responders; we can’t wait for next year!
To become a community partner, email Tiffany@nnccf.org for details!
Spring Fling
We were thrilled to host our annual Spring Fling at the NNCCF office. Our kiddos were welcomed by the Easter Bunny and received baskets full of seasonal goodies thanks to Learning Express Toys of Reno, NV. We love our family events and the joy on these warriors’ faces. We could not host these events without the help of our fantastic community supporting our mission. Thank you for helping us brighten their lives.
Our goal this year is larger than ever – and there’s a good reason for it. Although researchers are developing new and safer therapies for children, the treatments are expensive and insurance costs are rising. As these costs increase for children, we are expanding our programs to provide more financial and emotional support to meet the needs of northern Nevada families.
This year, we aim to raise $400,000 during our Know the Gold Campaign to continue the expansion of our programs. The William N. Pennington Foundation has generously agreed to match each donation to the campaign dollar-for-dollar, up to $400,000, until January 31, 2020.
Join us for the Know the Gold Finale and 12-hour radiothon.
January 31, 2020, 6am – 6pm
Scheels, 1200 Scheels Drive, Sparks, NV 89434
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On September 16, 2019, we celebrated 15 years of hosting our Tournament of Hope to support local children battling cancer. It started as a beautiful day at Montreux, but just as life brings us storms, a rainstorm breezed through the course soaking golfers, volunteers and staff head-to-toe. The storm helped remind us that local children face storms every day. We thought of their resiliency and determination to get through their diagnosis and the importance of the support from others.
We thought of these children, like Brady who teed-off the tournament, and their everyday battle with cancer. “I can’t think of a way that this diagnosis has not affected our family,” said Nicole, Brady’s mom. “It has affected us emotionally, spiritually, financially, and shook us to the core, but we will come out on the other end stronger than ever.” His story is similar to many of the other children NNCCF serves and we are doing everything in our power to ease the burden of his diagnosis. We are grateful for the many sponsors and friends that have supported this tournament over the last 15 years and we hope the sunshine after the rain reminds everyone that there is hope after a cancer diagnosis.
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[one_fourth]PLATINUM SPONSORS
Panattoni
Bonanno Concrete/ MDB Trucking
Alston Construction
GOLD SPONSORS
3D Concrete
Desert Fire Protection
Granite Construction
Newmont Goldcorp
Renown Children’s Hospital
Robin S. White, MD
Sierra Nevada Construction
Vasko Electric[/one_fourth][one_fourth]
SILVER SPONSORS
Aerotek
Baker & Jennifer Krukow
Capital Glass
Hankin Speciality Elevators
Jensen Electric
Kidder Mathews
KS Dealer Services
Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie
McDonald Carano
Morgan Stanley
New Millennium Building
Systems
NV Energy
Outlets at Legends[/one_fourth][one_fourth]
Panelized Structures
Phillips Family Foundation
RHP Mechanical
Shin-tech
Stowe/Dwyer Charitable Fund
Tectonics Design Group
Ticor Title
Umpqua Bank
Victory Woodworks
Wood Rodgers
WELCOME SPONSOR
Krukow Family Memorial
AWARD SPONSOR
RHP Mechanical Systems[/one_fourth][one_fourth]
FAMILY RECEPTION SPONSOR
Cemex Materials LLC
TEE PRIZE SPONSORS
McDonald Carano
Ticor Title
S&S Activewear
PLATINUM PLUS GAS SPONSOR
Golden Gate Petroleum of NV
PLATINUM GAS SPONSORS
Panelized Structures
TJ Duncan[/one_fourth]
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The event in August was a special evening with baseball, music, hope, and San Francisco Giants Emmy award-winning broadcaster, Mike Krukow, and his wife, Jennifer. Hosted at the home of Carol Truman and Bob Phillips, supporters and friends united in the fight against cancer to support local children and research for a cure. We were joined by special guests Kristen Posey, a childhood cancer advocate, and Maddie, a local childhood cancer survivor.
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Dozers & Dirt is brought to you by the former committee of the Reno Big Dig. You may
have operated a dozer or excavator before, but this year join us and get dirty digging-in
your shovels to support local children battling cancer.
Join us for the Launch Party
November 7, 2019, 4:30pm-7:30pm
Pinocchio’s Bar and Grill, 5995 S. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89502
Save the date for the main event
June 6, 2020, 10am-3pm
Rilite Aggregate Pit, 9208 Western Skies Drive, Reno, NV 89511
On January 31, 2020, we hosted our annual Know the Gold Radiothon at Scheels. The event marked a special occasion, as it was the finale to our 5-month-long Know the Gold fundraising campaign and launch of our 20-year celebration. Nine years ago, we raised $100,000 at our first radiothon with the help of Cumulus Media and our generous donors and community partners. This year, the goal was to reach $400,000 by the end of the radiothon, all of which would be matched dollar-for-dollar by the William N. Pennington Foundation.
Our supporters topped all records exceeding the goal by $37,000. The William N. Pennington Foundation was so inspired by the substantial community support that the final grant awarded was increased to $450,000. All of the funds that support our foundation are from local sources and help local families, and with thanks to you and our partners in the community, we can continue helping them in 2020.
We are grateful for the partnerships that have added to the success of the 5-month-long Know the Gold Campaign and Radiothon. For nine years, we have partnered with Scheels to host the radiothon and worked side-by-side with the Cumulus Media radio stations, KBUL 98.1, KKOH 780 News Talk, Wild 102.9 and 95.5 The Vibe, to promote the fundraiser. The William N. Pennington Foundation joined the cause by matching the funds raised in 2016 and has encouraged higher fundraising goals each year since.
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At the radiothon, we kicked-off our 20th year of service with a bell-ringing program. The bell serves as a symbol of hope while the child and their family endure hospital visits, chemotherapy, radiation, surgeries, and more. Not only does ringing the bell mark the end of treatment, but also the end to an often long and difficult journey with childhood cancer. We are grateful for the seven childhood cancer survivors who rang the bell again to celebrate this 20-year milestone and bring hope to all the children who have yet to ring the bell.
The program was hosted by JJ Christy with Cumulus Media, and featured special guests Doug Roberts, with Panattoni Development and NNCCF co-founder, Mike Krukow, Emmy Award-winning announcer with the San Francisco Giants, and Casey Stiteler, former NNCCF child and first childhood cancer survivor to serve on the NNCCF Board of Directors.
Krukow chose NNCCF as an organization to support two years ago and since has encouraged engagement with fans and friends. He influenced a $10,000 donation to NNCCF from the Renown Health Foundation, which was included in the Radiothon match by Pennington. His generosity, and that of our community partners, will support our families with the financial and emotional burden of childhood cancer. Krukow will also be hosting NNCCF’s signature fundraiser A Giant Event for Childhood Cancer event for NNCCF in November.
“Know that this organization is one that helps the little people who are afflicted by the worst disease. And that by you making a difference – it makes a difference for them,” said Krukow.
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NNCCF experienced an outpour of support from the community during the holiday season. We had many donations of toys, blankets, books and more to make sure our families felt loved and supported. It was an unprecedented year for our Hope for the Holidays program with more than 40 new families, or families in active treatment, adopted for gifts in December.
Our annual holiday party, Polar Express and pajama themed, had more than 250 children and family members who joined in the festivities – which included face painting, crafts, DJ, photo booth, and a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Thank you to our volunteers and partners for making the event a success.
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March 20, 2020
Downtown Reno Ballroom
6pm-8pm
We want a cure for childhood cancer and safer treatments for growing bodies. NNCCF and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation are celebrating 20 years of helping children battling cancer. Can you help us raise $220,000 for childhood cancer research? We are seeking participants for the upcoming event.
June 6, 2020
Rilite Aggregate Pit
9am-3pm
Dozers & Dirt will bring together corporate sponsors, families, and in-kind donors to give kids access to real-life construction equipment and more. This event is brought to you by the former committee of the Reno Big Dig. Ticket sales are open to the public and sponsorships are available now.
Each year, we award scholarships to childhood cancer survivors and young adults currently in treatment. Our foundation believes in young adults who have overcome adversity and are striving to achieve their academic dreams. Childhood cancer survivors inspire us with their resiliency and tenacity, and the Inspire Scholarship is one way that we can support them as they move forward through adulthood.
At the 2019 Inspire Scholarship Ceremony, David Wise, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist skier, presented about conquering what life brings. He has had physical and emotional peaks and valleys throughout his career, but he realized that his support system was essential as he celebrated his successes or overcame failures. Similar to the community that rallies behind a child with cancer, his team, the people around him that supported him, always had his back.
“You guys each have a team and you have a new weapon, you have overcome or you are overcoming this incredibly difficult adversity but on the other side you’re going to be stronger because of it,” Wise said.
Our Inspire Scholarship program awarded scholarships to 21 childhood cancer survivors and young adults currently in treatment. Through generous grants and sponsors, the program supports young adults affected by childhood cancer in achieving their dreams through higher education. Since the program started in 2012, we have awarded $416,000 in scholarships to survivors, and the funds have been applied to many fields of study from universities and colleges to vocational and technical schools.
One of the Inspire Scholarship recipients, Haley, is striving to become an oncology nurse. Through her cancer journey, she experienced pain, surgery, recovery and joy. She was moved by the idea of helping children in the same way nurses helped her through the good and the bad, “I would like to inspire others by being someone they can look to in times of need,” she said.
After completing treatment, Haley dedicated her studies to help other children affected by cancer. She recently celebrated her acceptance into the Orvis School of Nursing for the fall of 2019 and shared her joy on social media stating, “All of the hard work has paid off. God truly does have a plan and there is a light at the end of every tunnel. I can’t wait to begin this journey and be one step closer to helping kids with cancer.”
Wise spoke of an analogy that helped him through his life and career – He compared overcoming adversity to building a jump. Adversity represents the blocks of snow made out of all the hard stuff, which builds up to create the foundation of a ramp. “What I love about that [analogy] is that everything that you survived or that your family has survived or someone close to you has survived just becomes another block you can build your jump out of,” said Wise. “And the more blocks you build, the more blocks your jump has in it, the greater your trajectory.”
Wise wrapped up the ceremony with words that exemplify the accomplishments of these survivors as they step into a different journey in life and build their own careers. Wise said, “There’s nothing I’m more excited about than telling you guys that because of what you’ve been through you can accomplish more than anybody else. I just want to empower you guys with that message and I want to thank you for your journey because it’s important and it’s powerful.”
With every scholarship we give, we know that a child with cancer has more opportunity to learn and reach higher dreams. To use his metaphor, we know that these survivors have earned every block carved out through their journey with cancer. And yet, we are grateful we can help propel them forward to achieve greater things.
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A special thank you to the donors who directly support this program: Charles H. Stout Foundation, Charles Mathewson Foundation, DiRienzo Foundation, Jet Nevada Fulfillment Center, the Trowbridge Family, the LeSourd Family, U.S. Bank, Morgan Stanley for Leonard Wohletz, and Wood Rodgers.
