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Lunch for Life

UPDATE

6:40 AM 10/10/2003

LUNCH FOR LIFE UPDATE

Well, we aren't going to reach $10 million in 10 days, much to no one's surprise, I suppose. But what has occurred in these short days has been nothing less than phenomenal. We have received phone calls from as far away as Western Australia. They've also come from Geneva, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The mail arrives in sacks, and the foundation office is getting so many calls they had to buy a new telephone! Donations are pouring in, and the momentum is building across the country and, obviously, beyond.

And while this effort is definitely about the money, for me it's about so much more. It's about giving hope to hopeless families. It's about giving purpose to grieving families. It's about unifying families in similar battles and dealing with similar heartaches. It's about fulfilling the personal missions of so many otherwise helpless parents, all of whom are struggling to make sense out of their child's fate with this horrible disease. Most importantly, it's about saving lives -- real lives of real children.  They look just like your children -- angelic, healthy, happy. They're normal kids just like everyone else's kids...except for this monster that is inside of them. This monster can kill them, and does kill too many of them. It causes much trauma to the others and to their families. Yes, Lunch for Life is all about beating this monster. Which brings us back to the money. I wish it wasn't about money. I hate asking for money. But we, the PARENTS, have to fight for our kids because if we don't, no one will, so we have to ask for your money, and for the money of your friends, their companies...whomever will give so that our children have a chance to live. It stinks all the way around. But we have to do what we have to do. If I have to ask for your $5 (or more if you are so inclined) so that these kids can grow up, graduate from high school, live their lives, well, then I guess I have to.

So our Lunch for Life effort will continue beyond Day 10 because it has to. Remember, we as parents of these kids have to change the world. We may not have been able to do it in 10 days, but mark my word, we'll do it.

--Kristin Connor (mother to Brandon)

The Plea

4:40 AM October 1, 2003

A CALL TO ACTION FROM A PARENT WITH A PURPOSE

It is October 1, 2003, a day that will live in the hearts and the memories of Sydney, Lynley and me for the rest of our lives.  Today is the day that will mark a significant change in the world of neuroblastoma.  With your help we will level the playing field and give research the necessary boost to obliterate this human tragedy from this earth.  I plead with all of you, that today you help our family -- and therefore the families of Neuroblastoma victims all over the world.  This will only work once and this is my best hope at making a truly significant impact while I still have the opportunity to do so.  

Today I officially launch the "Lunch for Life" campaign, an ambitious fundraising effort to raise ten million dollars in just ten short days.  I ask you to make a donation to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation in the amount of five dollars - just the cost of lunch for one day - right now.  Please do it for Sydney, for Lynley and me, for the thousands of parents crying for a cure, or do it for the thousands who are yet to be diagnosed.  Do it because you are our friends and family.  Whatever reason you find.  It can be because of the statistics - because neuroblastoma is greatly under funded.  Do it because of our story.  Do it because of somebody else's.  Do it for any of the reasons that we have discussed over the past few weeks.  Do it as a "snooping" tax for reading my diary.  Do it so that they can afford to buy a book to improve my grammar.  Whatever the reason you choose, please do it, and do it now.  Think of it as giving up one lunch this month for a cause that is important to some one who is close to you.  Or better yet think of it as paying five dollars to be a part of changing history.  It is a small price to pay and we will save lives, precious children's lives.  Hopefully, five dollars is an amount that no one will miss but that could make the difference in thousands of lives.  If you have decided that this is your cause, that you are inspired to do more, then please give now.  Give up one lunch a month for the year, for the rest of your life, whatever your tolerance is to give to a cause that you believe in.  I then ask that you call 5 of your best friends.  Friends that you can trust and people that will do this favor for you as you have done for me.  Give them the information, tell them the story, inspire them and ask them to do the same as I have asked of you.  Ask them to call five of their friends and pass on the challenge.  This will only work, it will only make the needed impact, if we go ten levels deep in this web of giving.  If you can find more people to give, great, if not that is okay.  Some of you will tell hundreds and for that I am truly grateful, but no matter what, I need you to be diligent.  Please follow up with your five best hopes and keep the giving growing.  We have to make sure that we inspire our five friends to follow in our footsteps.  Pick five friends that you know will do it and that will continue the effort.  Follow up with them.  Use this as your opportunity to stay in touch with someone that is close to you.  Everybody must inspire the group below them and follow up.  I know it is work.  I know I am asking a lot.  But this could do it.  This could make the difference today, right now.  This could be the single effort that does it, that produces the cure.  Honestly, for me it would be worth the five dollars and five phone calls just to see if the theory behind a chain letter actually works.  Nevertheless, I implore you.  You have asked how you can help.  Help me change the world over the next 10 days.  Your donations will go to research to cure neuroblastoma.  It goes to an organization that is lead by parents and medical professionals dedicated to the cause whose sole purpose in life is for the love of their families, these children, and the cure of neuroblastoma.  It is a tax deductible contribution to you.  You can give directly to the CNCF here (http://www.cncf-childcancer.org), it is a secure web site and a preferred method to make your donation.

 or 

You can make a pledge on Sydney's website here. By filling in this pledge sheet you will be contacted by a volunteer or sent a pledge card to fulfill your donation.

 or 

You can mail your check to this address:
CNCF
P.O. Box 6635
Bloomingdale, IL 60108

 or 

You can fax your credit card donation to: 1-630-351-2462

 or 

You can call this 800 number and give your gift by phone 1-866-671-2623 

or 

if they are busy you can make the donation to my office at this number. 1-877-795-7948 

or 

if you want to call me personally you can make your donation through me. 1-817-846-6085 

Whatever method you choose your donations will be going to benefit the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation and they will make a difference in children's lives.  In the not to distant future it will be your gift that allows a doctor to sit down with a family and say "Your child has neuroblastoma, but it is okay, there is a cure."  We can do this.  It isn't only about the five dollars, it is about your five friends.  That is the tough part, but it will be what makes the difference.  You hold the future in your hands, please make it a good one.  I will be posting our fundraising results on this website on a daily basis. You will know how much of a difference your participation has made.  Each day the next level of friends should be taking the necessary steps to make the difference but it is up to us, right now, to get the ball rolling and ensure that it works.  You are my five friends.  Let's take a stand together.  From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.  I thank you for your prayers and well wishes and I thank you for helping me change the world.  It is my daughter who has given me the strength and courage but it is your kind words that have inspired me. We all have had a lot to learn from one precious little girl.  I thank you all for my purpose.  We will make a difference.

Lunch for Life

The Challenge

The idea of "Lunch for Life" has grown over the past few weeks and I see it as a great opportunity to stand together and make an impact, to make the world hear us in one united voice.   I truly believe it will work and if the past week is any indication of how effective it will be I think we could make our goals.  My original idea was really based on the feelings of a desperate parent but as we have further refined the idea I feel even more confident that it will be successful.  This could very well be the difference we need.  We need voices shouting from around the world saying that this is important.  Hopefully, with enough families, we will make the difference.  First off, I want to thank you for your interest.  We have three goals.  First, we want to raise funds to aid in the research effort.  Funds will by applied to grants for neuroblastoma research. Grants will be funded based on the opinions of a medical panel whose sole purpose is to hasten the search for a cure.  Second, my goal is to increase awareness.  I hope that we will receive national press and this will afford us the opportunity to get the word out and make our cries heard around the world.  Third, I would like the funds raised to be used to educate and support the families afflicted by neuroblastoma.  As much as I love my hospital and the dedicated health professionals that are caring for Sydney this effort is not for them.  This fundraiser is dedicated to eradicating this disease and its effects from all of the children currently fighting the battle and the thousands that will follow.  All funds raised will be for the benefit of the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation (CNCF), an organization with like minded goals dedicated towards the search for a cure wherever it may lie.

With that being said I ask you to join me, my family and hundreds of others in a single effort to level the playing field and raise the funds necessary to make an impact.  For me it is a time to shed my cynicism, fear and apathy and to energize our effort.  I believe it will work and, with all of our collaboration, in just ten short days we will be able to send the research effort in fast forward.  We can do it.

The theory behind "Lunch for Life" is very simple.  We are asking everyone we know to give up their lunch -- about the cost of five dollars -- and donate it to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation.  It is really much more than this but the basic premise remains true.  We have received public support with our effort and we are prepared to make a dramatic impact nationwide.  We are hoping that a ground swell of support will take our grass roots campaign to the rest of the world.  Here is how it works.  I am going to ask the hundreds of supporters for my daughter to help me in this crusade.  Many are friends and acquaintances but many more are people we did not know until we joined in this fight against neuroblastoma.  Many are daily readers of my daughter's website at http://www.sydneydungan.com and follow our lives and my diary on a daily basis.  It has been through their offers of help and support that we have decided on this particular path.  On October 1, 2003, I am going to ask approximately 500 of these people to do a favor for my family, for your family, and for the thousands out there yet to be diagnosed and donate five dollars to the CNCF.  Furthermore, I am going to ask that they propagate this challenge by asking five of their closest friends to do the same and then continue the challenge to each new group of friends each day for a total of ten days.  It is very similar to the theory behind the movie "Pay it Forward."  Unfortunately, the steps that we take today may not be in time for our children.  To a certain extent, many of their fates rest in the medical technology that is exists today.  But if we can make enough impact and spread the word to keep this pyramid of giving growing, we will save thousands of lives of the children yet to be diagnosed and we will save their families and friends from the pain that we face everyday.  If we can just inspire our friends and family and the thousands of others out there in the world we can make a difference. It takes a large quantity of people and this method will get the word out. 

A sample of what one person could do is found below.

The mechanics:

Day 1 1 person asks 5 friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $25

Day 2 Those 5 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $125

Day 3 Those 25 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $625

Day 4 Those 125 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $3,125

Day 5 Those 625 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $15,625

Day 6 Those 3125 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $78,125

Day 7 Those 15625 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $390,625

Day 8 Those 78125 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $1,953,125

Day 9 Those 390625 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $9,765,625

Day 10 Those 1953125 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $48,828,125

Now, I realize that the numbers are astronomical but that is the way that it works out. Some will give much more than five dollars.  Some will tell hundreds of their friends and some will not tell any.  It takes every one being diligent and checking up the following day to make sure their friends have followed through, but it can work.  At the very least it will raise a truly substantial amount of money for an extremely worthy cause and at its very best it will exceed our expectations. Regardless, in just ten days of our combined effort we will change the world of neuroblastoma. There are enough of us.

Methods to get donations to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation.

People can donate online at:

https://www.cncf-childcancer.org/donations.aspx

(it is a secure site accepting Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express)

People can make their pledge online at:

http://www.sydneydungan.com/Pledge_Page.asp

After providing their information, they will be contacted by a volunteer or sent a pledge card to make their donation by mail.

People can call:

1-866-671-2623 CNCF direct line

1-877-795-7948  my office, volunteers will be standing by

People can fax pledge/donation card to:

1-630-351-2462

People can mail their donations to:

Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation

P.O. Box 6635

Bloomingdale, IL 60108