2008 Woodie Awards
'Toy'ing around to help Team Brent
St. Baldricks Toy Drive works to fill a closet (and hearts) of sick children
Mikara Cimmino
Issue date: 3/29/07 Section: News
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SHU's Athletic Training Department is sponsoring a toy drive to benefit the Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Associates of Guilford. The office has a well-known "toy closet" where children of all different ages (who go there to receive blood transfusion, chemotherapy, and other treatments) are allowed to grab a toy or item to take home with them.
These children are constantly fighting a life or death battle. To see the children smile is why people donate, said Julie Alexander, head athletic trainer.
"Helping the toy closet is just a little thing we can do to help out," she said.
Alexander and the Athletic Training Department's drive to collect new toys for Dr. Joe McNamara's toy closet started after a SHU hockey game when she met Dana McCreesh.
McCreesh's son, Brent, was diagnosed with cancer-stage 4 Neuroblastoma and listening to their heart-wrenching story immediately led Alexander to want to do more to help.
"Dana told me about the toy closet so I researched the Baldrick's foundation online and ended up putting boxes around campus asking for toy donations," said Alexander.
St. Baldrick's is a volunteer-driven fundraising program for childhood cancer. It has become a national event where willing people shave their heads in exchange for donations towards children with cancer. The money goes to funding child cancer research, Nerublastoma research, and Yale's pediatric Oncology.
"I thought about shaving my head...there has already been 4 women and three hundred men who have shaved their heads at The Field restaurant in Fairfield including the Sacred Heart hockey team," said Alexander.
The Field restaurant also joined in when the owners, some of their family, bartenders, and other staff members began to shave their heads.
"The Baldrick's foundation sounds incredible," said Mike Cimmino, junior, Longmeadow, Mass. "Now that I have been informed about the foundation, there is no doubt in my mind that I will donate and do as much as I can to help out."
Boxes for donations are located around campus, in the athletic training room, at the front desk of the William H. Pitt Center, and at Hawley Lounge, waiting to be completely full by March 31.
"Last year we had huge boxes of toys, I want to beat that this year!" said Alexander.
These children are constantly fighting a life or death battle. To see the children smile is why people donate, said Julie Alexander, head athletic trainer.
"Helping the toy closet is just a little thing we can do to help out," she said.
Alexander and the Athletic Training Department's drive to collect new toys for Dr. Joe McNamara's toy closet started after a SHU hockey game when she met Dana McCreesh.
McCreesh's son, Brent, was diagnosed with cancer-stage 4 Neuroblastoma and listening to their heart-wrenching story immediately led Alexander to want to do more to help.
"Dana told me about the toy closet so I researched the Baldrick's foundation online and ended up putting boxes around campus asking for toy donations," said Alexander.
St. Baldrick's is a volunteer-driven fundraising program for childhood cancer. It has become a national event where willing people shave their heads in exchange for donations towards children with cancer. The money goes to funding child cancer research, Nerublastoma research, and Yale's pediatric Oncology.
"I thought about shaving my head...there has already been 4 women and three hundred men who have shaved their heads at The Field restaurant in Fairfield including the Sacred Heart hockey team," said Alexander.
The Field restaurant also joined in when the owners, some of their family, bartenders, and other staff members began to shave their heads.
"The Baldrick's foundation sounds incredible," said Mike Cimmino, junior, Longmeadow, Mass. "Now that I have been informed about the foundation, there is no doubt in my mind that I will donate and do as much as I can to help out."
Boxes for donations are located around campus, in the athletic training room, at the front desk of the William H. Pitt Center, and at Hawley Lounge, waiting to be completely full by March 31.
"Last year we had huge boxes of toys, I want to beat that this year!" said Alexander.
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