Catie's CURE Classic benefitting CURE Childhood Cancer

We're gearing up for our golf tournament for this year and it's coming up quickly. We've taken a couple of years off, but we're back and we're hoping to have a great turnout for the tourney. The tournament will be held on June 20 at Black Creek Golf Club. For details on the tourney, go to http://catiescureclassic.com. This is the first year the tournament will be a memorial tournament, but we do this to honor our sweet Catie and the life she lived. We also do it so that other families won't know the devastating loss that is so often caused by childhood cancer. All proceeds will go directly to CURE Childhood Cancer (http://www.curechildhoodcancer.org/). We are in need of sponsors (levels are: Hole for $100 and Corporate for $500 and $1000), golfers, and door prizes. Each sponsorship comes w/ different perks, so visit our website to check them out (http://catiescureclassic.com/).

Given the lovely economic times we're in, we're taking a bit of a different approach this year. We are still seeking "normal" sponsors (at the levels listed above), but we also realize that smaller donations add up to make big donations. We are seeking folks who might not be able to be a hole sponsor, but could handle giving $25 (or $10 or $50). If we could have 100 people donate $25, that would be $2500 (and the equivalent of 25 hole sponsors)... 200 folks giving $25 would give us $5000, and so forth.

So, here is my challenge to you. (I'm not usually one to issue challenges, but today I'm going for it). If you are able and willing to donate to our cause, please do. You can easily do it through PayPal on our site (http://catiescureclassic.com/) or to Catie's Fund page ( http://www.curechildhoodcancer.org/default.asp?contentID=66). If you donate at Catie's Fund page, please list "Catie's Fund for Golf Tournament" in the comments section. The second part of my challenge is this... PLEASE forward this on to folks on your contact list. If half of the folks who receive this e-mail give a small amount of money and if everyone forwards this on, we could really build a large army and raise a lot of money.
Forwarding is a HUGE part of this effort because it allows us to reach a large number of people.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and thanks for forwarding this on and donating if you are able. These donations (which need to be made by June 26) fund research that is literally life-giving.

Elves!!!!!

It's getting to be that time of year again!!! Time to start thinking about the birth of Christ, Christmas shopping, my favorite music of the year, Santa (or HoHo as he's referred to at our house right now), and visits from elves. Last year a great little project got started. Elves from Catie... If you missed it last year, check this out: That Silly Old Elf . We are on the move again with Elves from Catie and there are several ways you can get involved. It's easy to get involved and it's SUCH a great tradition!!! (You really do need to click the link above and read about it if you don't know about the tradition.) Ok... so ways you can be a part....

1. Donate an Elf from Catie kit to a child in the hospital -- Kits are $35 and include an elf, an Elf from Catie book (about an elf that visits the hospital -- very cute story), and elf food (jelly beans) (go to the website and just click on the Elves from Catie logo)
2. Purchase an elf for a child you know. Elves come with all the things listed above and the price for these is $35 as well. (go to the website and click on Host an Elf)
3. Have your civic organization, ladies' circle, youth group, etc. get involved and work to donate elves to kids in the hospital.
4. Copy and paste this into an e-mail and send it out to all your contacts. Ask them to continue to forward it on. This was HUGELY successful last year.

The website is Host an Elf. All Elves from Catie purchases (elves donated to a child in the hospital) will have $5 of the purchase donated to CURE Childhood Cancer. Your elf purchase for a child you know can also benefit CURE. Just BE SURE to indicate that you want CURE to benefit. To do this, on the page that says non-profit donations at the bottom, choose fundraiser under category and CURE Childhood Cancer under name. If you don't do this, CURE won't receive the $5.

Last year was hugely successful... I hope this year can be even more so. Help us out and spread the word!! Elves from Catie is great because it shares a wonderful, memory-making tradition with families AND raises money for a CURE. And a CURE is so desperately needed... Spread the joy (and the elfish mischief)!!

Home from Atlanta

We just got home from spending a few days in Atlanta. The new Ronald McDonald House at Egleston (sister hospital of Scottish Rite) had it's grand opening this week. There were a couple of open rooms at the RMcD House that we always stayed at and we actually ended up staying there and catching up with old friends since no other families needed them. It was funny to see Izzy running through the kitchen and family rooms. She immediately took to Cari (the house manager) and within minutes they were chasing each other through the house just like Catie and Cari used to do.

This trip was meaningful for lots of reasons. A very special couple (I'm not listing their name here, b/c I didn't talk to them about writing this) donated a room to the new house in Catie's memory. We met them at a RMcD House Golf Tournament several years ago. Catie fell in love with them and I think she sat with them for most of dinner. These sweet folks introduced her to cherries that night and she kept them busy running to the drink table to get more!! It was too funny. This couple is so sweet. Their kindness and sweet packages for Catie (which almost always contained a jar of cherries) always made us smile!! It was nice to get to see them again this week. I don't think words could ever convey to them how much their very generous donation in Catie's memory means to our family. We will always, always be grateful.

The new house is absolutely beautiful!! There are 40 rooms and 10 transplant suites. Previously transplant patients (organ and bone marrow) have had to stay at hotels following transplant b/c of the need for isolation. They will now be able to stay at the RMcD House. This will be so much more convenient and better for families. I'm really thankful for this addition to the house.

Just a couple of pics from the week...


Izzy was fascinated with Ronald McDonald. I had to start avoiding him b/c if she saw him she wanted to stay with him.


Izzy with Cari -- her hair is just getting more and more blonde


Sign outside of the room donated in Catie's memory -- the rooms are gorgeous!!!


Oops, she spotted Ronald again!


Sweet friends at the grand opening -- nice one of me HAHA


Happy girl

Thanks for checking in!

Quick Request

We'd love to hear what your elves are up to!! Someone had requested ideas earlier, and I never got around to posting. There are some suggestions on the Host an Elf website (I think under a tab that says Past Elf Experiences), but it would be fun to hear what these elves are up to now! Feel free to post in the comments section or send stories/pics to my e-mail. We received a couple of e-mails this morning telling us what the silly elves were doing.... definitely makes me smile!! We'll be sure to update when we have new numbers!

I Love that Silly Old Elf

I've been trying to come here since Monday night to update you on the elves, and just haven't been able to find the words. I am absolutely amazed at how this whole elf thing has taken on a life of it's own. By mid-day Sunday, including the elves that Host an Elf had donated themselves, close to 200 elves had been donated to kids with cancer!!!!!!!!!!!! The orders continue to come in. Sunday night I headed to Atlanta to help deliver some of them to Scottish Rite. It was a quick trip, but I'm so glad I went!! We delivered some to kids we ran into in the clinic and then we made a couple of stops over at the hospital. We left a huge load for the child life specialists to share with other kids. I was able to meet Lori and Gregg (from Host an Elf) and Lori's parents. They presented CURE Childhood Cancer with a check for $1200!!! In 6 days, that's how much money was raised w/ Catie's elves!!

I am still amazed when I think about how all this started w/ a hope for a discount on a bulk order and an e-mail. I know they e-mail is still circulating and we are so grateful to all of you who passed it on. To think that these elves are creating new memories for kids who are fighting and their families AND that money has gone to CURE for research... Tre' and I really are just blown away. I really can't find the words to explain how it helps us through this first Christmas without Catie. To say that this project is "fitting" as a remembrance of her is an understatement. Those of you who have followed us for a long time will remember Catie's mischievous streak and her love of her elf. I can still see her face when she discovered her elf in the flour that morning last Christmas... and that brings a smile. So, this year, she lives on in a different way... we'll find a bit of her in the elf stories we hear from our friends and in the memories we know are being made... we'll find a bit more of her in the money raised for CURE to help kids like her... and we'll always, always find a huge chunk of her in our hearts. We will miss her, but we will be grateful for the time we had. Thanks to Host an Elf, to all of you who spread the word, and to all of you who bought and donated elves! You've made a difference in the lives of some really great kids this Christmas and in the life of this family and we are ever so grateful.

Silly Elf Update

You guys are amazing!!!! At last count, over 100 elves had been donated through Host an Elf!!!! How awesome is that? If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out the blog entry below. I know folks are still ordering, so I wanted to let you know that if you are ordering some for your family or as a gift, 30% of proceeds can still go to Cure Childhood Cancer . There is a pulldown menu at the top for donating part of the proceeds to your favorite charity. Just pull down and click CURE Childhood Cancer and then place your order like normal. Thank you to all who have forwarded the info. on or posted it on your site or blog! We're hoping to make this a yearly tradition. Tre' and I can honestly think of no better way to let a bit of Catie live on. It's just a perfect fit. We're excited about making some deliveries soon! We'll keep you posted on how things are going and how many we end up with in all. We just wanted you to know how grateful we are to all of you who have ordered elves!!! What a Christmas gift this is to our family.

Love,
Tre', Jenny, and Izzy

A couple of other great things worth checking out.

Help Jacob's Family fill his stocking and help benefit kids with cancer all at the same time all in memory of Jacob. For more info. click here

Click here to see a promotional video for the Carter Martin Classic.

A Silly Old Elf

I won't lie, the holidays are hard. The missing is harder than before. Catie is everywhere which is wonderful and so hard all at the same time. There are so many Christmas things and traditions that make us miss her even more.

One of those traditions, some of you may remember us writing about last year... the elf that comes to visit us at Christmas time and usually ends up getting into all kinds of mischief. Last year he covered our kitchen in flour, pulled the garland down from our entry way, pulled clothes out of Catie's sock drawer and made himself comfortable for a night of slumber, and spent one night in the freezer (b/c he was homesick and it reminded him of the North Pole. On the days that the elf was at our house, the first words out of Catie's mouth each morning were, "Mama, where that silly elf at now?" We had soooooo much fun with that "silly elf."


Here is Catie with "that silly elf" who had played in the flour all night long!

Well, because it is such a fun tradition and because we have so many great memories of it with Catie (and plan on making many more with Izzy), we had decided to pass the tradition on to some friends this Christmas. I have been scouring stores and the internet for cute elves that were at a price I wanted so that we could share the tradition with several families without breaking the bank. Well, the prices I found were reasonable, but I wanted to give out 10 or so... So I tracked down the company that made Catie's and Izzy's elf, Host an Elf, and decided to call to see if they did discounts for bulk orders. I was talking to a friend who knew how hard I had been looking and how much we wanted to do this in the spirit of Christmas and to keep a bit of Catie spreading cheer just before I called. She and her daughter prayed that just the right person would answer the phone when I called.

Well... let me just tell you what happened. I called Host an Elf and the nicest lady answered the phone. I explained about Catie and how much she loved the elf and how we had lost her this year and how we wanted to do this elf thing for some of our friends in the cancer world in honor of her. She immediately said that they could absolutely give us the elves at cost. I was thrilled. It was totally affordable and I could reach the families we wanted to. We talked a little longer and just as I was about to give her the shipping address, she said, "You know what? We're just going to give them to you. We want to donate them." I was astounded! Holy cow!!! I couldn't believe it. I stumbled to thank her and tell her how much it meant to our family... that to honor Catie in this way this first holiday without us meant so much to us. I gave her our address and we hung up, me with a bit of bounce in my step.

Well... it gets better... Four hours later, my phone rang. On the other end was the nice lady from Host an Elf. She told me that she had talked with her partner and they had an idea. "What would you think," she said, "if we started a program in honor of your daughter where people could donate an elf to a child with cancer AND 30 percent of the proceeds go to childhood cancer research?" I was speechless!!!!! Give to kids who are fighting so hard and share such a great tradition... AND, AND give money to fight this wretched disease? I was completely blown away by the generosity of this company.

I can't explain to you how this lifts our hearts a bit. We are definitely missing Catie so much this Season. To have a way to honor her memory by sharing something she loved so much with other families AND giving money to Cure Childhood Cancer all at the same time... that absolutely means the world to us. Words can't even describe it.

So... this is what we need folks to do. Go to Host an Elf , and then click the "Host an Elf" button. If you scroll down on the products section here, you'll see a picture of Catie w/ her elf (covered in flour). You can click "add to cart" to donate an elf (for just $20) to a child with cancer (and in the process you're also making a donation to Cure Childhood Cancer. Even if you don't want to make a donation, I hope you'll support this company b/c of the way they TOTALLY went above and beyond when a mom just called and asked for a discount on a bulk order. I also hope you'll share this info. with folks in your inbox. It is SUCH a fun tradition! One that we will always do in our house. The elves can be quite mischievous and kids wake up each morning eager to see what has gone on while they were sleeping. Without your help, we can't make this successful. But with your help, it could really be a great thing!!

Just one more thing. I called that friend back who had prayed that just the right person would answer the phone. I shared the amazing news of the day with her. She said, "Jenny what you didn't know is that, yes, we prayed for the right person to answer the phone. But we also prayed that somehow this would bring about something that would help you and Tre' through this first ever so tough Christmas without Catie." Once again speechless. WOW!

Thank you God for answering the prayer of my dear friend. Thank you for lifting our hearts yesterday through the generosity of this company... Thank you that even though we miss Catie tremendously each and every day, and even more so this Season, thank you for touching our hearts today and sending us a hug from her and from you through a "silly old elf."

Ok already, go see how cute those elves are!!!

William's Walk

Hi guys! Just a quick note before the mad rush of the day starts. Check out the box on the side with details and links for William's Walk. This will be our 5th year entering a team! We'd love for you to join us as a Catie's Cruiser! The cost is only $15 ($20 for phantom participants who want to participate but can't attend). All proceeds go to the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children, a great organization that funds pediatric brain tumor research and supports families battling the disease. Let us know if you sign up as a Cruiser!

Also, our buddy Jake and his family are getting ready for Light the Night with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Check out their page to see how you can support them.

Izzy is keeping us on the run -- literally. How can a baby who couldn't even crawl 2 weeks ago be so fast now? The leaves on our potted plants are showing some wear, it's her favorite thing to go after. She definitely hearing "no" and hopefully she's learning what it means. We also see a naked hiney crawling away quite frequently during diaper changes. I'll reach over to grab the diaper and she does this rapid flip and crawl to get away! I was at our produce place yesterday and the folks who run it wanted to know how much she weighed. The plopped her on the scales and she was 23 pounds!!!! She's wearing 12 months clothes and they fit her perfectly.

Off to tackle our day and enjoy some fall temperatures!

We're Still Here

Wow! What a busy week! Where to start?

Friday night we threw our Catie party at the home of good friends. We had a great turnout, and though the one we were celebrating wasn't with us, I think she would have approved. We decorated w/ table runners that had both frogs and butterflies and Gerber Daisies in Coke bottles (Catie loved to drink Coke out of a glass bottle).

We served all of her favorites... boiled peanuts, chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A, olives, caramel popcorn, brownies... she wouldn't have known what to eat with all of her favorites out like that. We ate well and collected a good bit of stuff for the Ronald McDonald House here in Savannah.

It really was a great way to celebrate what would have been her 5th birthday.

We've also gotten several notes about other folks honoring Catie with donations and in kind donations to their local Ronald McDonald Houses. A little girl in Marietta, Clara, turned one on Sunday. Her parents asked for donations to the Atlanta Houses and ended up with a trunk full of stuff and $1000 dollars that they're donating in Catie's name!!! Kristin in Mobile and her family threw a Catie party complete with butterfly cupcakes. Another family from the Atlanta area placed flowers in their church in honor of Catie's birthday. And our dear friends the Hangers went shopping and took stuff to our Ronald McDonald House at Scottish Rite.

This pic is of Lisa and Anna (medulloblastoma survivor and hero of Anna's Angel Fund) and Cari (our favorite house manager and dear friend) when the took the stuff by the House.

So... our girl was celebrated! Thanks to all of you who sent notes and cards, who called and prayed. We made it through...

I was hoping to update you on the luncheon in Atlanta this weekend as well, but Ms. Iz just woke up, so I'll do that later. I'll end with a pic of her sleeping (as I had to take one to remind myself that she really does sleep on occasion). She's a great napper, just not at night!! =)


Ok, I know I'm totally breaking all kinds of rules in this picture! She's sleeping on her belly (can't make her stay on her back), she's in bed w/ a bottle and a blanket... oh well, I'm busted!! =)

One other thing before I close.... this is the hard part. We've just learned of two dear friends who have relapsed. Abby and Chayton... both are medullo patients. It's such a cruel disease and our hearts are breaking for their families. We know there are good options for them, but we hurt that their families are going to have to reenter the battle... one time should be enough. So please check on the at the links below... let them know you're praying for them.

Abby is on Care Pages. When you go to this link, click the tab that says Care Pages, then click visit. Enter AbbySmith12 as the page name and it should take you there.

Here is Chayton's link.

Ways You Can Help

Write to your congressman and ask them to support the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act. The budget for Childhood Cancer Research has been cut by the government for 3 consecutive years and we need to let our government officials know that this is not acceptable! 20 clinical trials have been put on hold keeping 300 children from enrolling in these new, promising trials. Nearly 3,000 children die each year from cancer -- more than AIDS, asthma, cystic fibrosis and diabetes combined.

Savannah Ronald McDonald House Wish List

Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Wish List

Ronald McDonald House

Catie's birthday is coming up. We are going to have a little get together and we are collecting donations for the Ronald McDonald House. Someone had asked me what the houses need. It varies a bit from house to house, but I thought I'd post some of the needs here. Here is the Wish List for the Atlanta Ronald McDonald Houses. Here is the Wish List for the Savannah House. The things that are really needed at the Savannah house are in bold print. Below is a letter we sent to the Atlanta House. The Houses really are amazing places.

Dear Friends,

How do I even begin to thank you for what you have meant to us over the last nearly 4 years? I honestly do not know what we would have done without you. I had heard of the Ronald McDonald House before we needed it, and I thought, “what a nice idea,” but I had no idea what a blessing and what a necessity your homes are for families struggling with a sick or seriously injured child. I simply had no idea.

When Catie was diagnosed with cancer on her first birthday, life as we knew it fell completely apart. We were thrust into an ambulance and driven to Atlanta with no time for planning or thinking ahead. Tre’ and I both slept (or at least tried to) in the hospital room for the first week. It was then that a room at the House came open and we entered into our second home for the first time. When we arrived, we were exhausted, we were worried, and we were sick of hospital food. At your home, we found compassion, a bed to rest our heads on, and hot meals that were real food. It was a respite from the hospital to help us gather our energy to help Catie fight. And fight she did. Over the coming months and years, we spent more than 150 nights in the House. Some of our stays were one-nighters and others were for several weeks at a time. But no matter how long or short the stay, we always felt like we were coming home.

As a parent, there is not a lot you can do to ease the pain your child suffers at the hand of disease. I was always amazed at Catie’s spirit… She never once told me, “Momma, I don’t want to go to Atlanta.” She knew what an Atlanta trip meant… she knew it meant doctors and medicine that made her feel yucky or surgery and owies. But never once did she ask not to come. I have to believe that part of this was because of how much she loved the Ronald McDonald House. I remember the time that her first words after waking up from a 4-5 hour brain surgery were very adamant, “I want to go to the Ronald McDonald House!” And I can still hear her sweet voice from the back seat as we turned into the driveway of the House. “Momma?” she’d ask with a sneaky grin on her face, “Ms. Cari’s gonna get me, isn’t she Momma?”

Cari she loved you. She loved playing chase with you, laughing with you, “running” your office, and eating “noodles” from Chin Chins with you. You helped make her time in Atlanta for stuff that wasn’t so great, a fun time. As a mom, what more could I ask for?

Catie considered the House her home… I have no doubt of that. She celebrated more birthdays at the House than she did at her own. She began to crawl after her surgery for the first time there. She mastered steps by walking up and down the stairs at the House. It was there that she fell in love with The Sound of Music, baking cookies, and caramel popcorn. So many of our memories of Catie are tied to the House because of the time we spent there. You create an environment that allows families to live and live well while they’re there. I don’t think that I will ever be able to convey what that has meant to my family. Every day matters, but because our time with Catie was so short, every second was important… All the time that we lived at your house, our second home, we were able to live well, because you allowed us to.

In addition to all of this, the financial burden you lifted from our backs by being available is hard to put a value on. I have no doubt that you saved us a minimum of $15,000 in hotel bills. I cannot even begin to calculate the money saved by being able to eat the hot meals your volunteers provided every single day. How do I thank you for that?

Please know that we are here, ready and willing to do anything that we can for the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities. We are so grateful for all that you have done for our family and we are especially thankful for all of the wonderful times you gave Catie (and the good memories we have now because of that). Know that we consider you family and we can’t wait to come visit you (just for fun now, not because we need you) soon.

With love,
Tre’ and Jenny Wilkins