CHANGE FOR PEDIATRIC CANCER IS JUST A FEW BITES AWAY

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CHANGE FOR PEDIATRIC CANCER IS JUST A FEW BITES AWAY

Isabella Santos Foundation Kicks off “Month of Giving” with partner Jersey Mike’s in March 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Feb. 27, 2020) — The Isabella Santos Foundation (ISF) is joining forces again this year with its charitable partner, Jersey Mike’s Subs restaurants. Jersey Mike’s Subs has 43 participating locations throughout the greater Charlotte area. For the Annual March “Month of Giving” campaign to raise funds for pediatric cancer research, customers can make a donation to the Isabella Santos Foundation at any participating Jersey Mike’s restaurants. Proceeds from 100% of the cookie sales at the participating Jersey Mike’s restaurants during the month of March will also go back to the Isabella Santos Foundation.

The pinnacle of the campaign will be on Jersey Mike’s “Day of Giving” on Wednesday, March 25, when all 43 of the participating Jersey Mike’s restaurants will give 100 percent of the day’s sales directly to the Isabella Santos Foundation.

On Day of Giving, nationwide, local Jersey Mike’s owners and operators will donate their resources and every single dollar that comes in towards more than 200 different charities including hospitals, youth organizations, food banks and more. 

In 2019, $167,319.87 was raised during Jersey Mike’s Month of Giving for the Isabella Santos Foundation and pediatric cancer research! Since 2018 more than $300,000 has been raised!

“As a brand, Jersey Mike’s is very passionate about giving back. We don’t give to get, we give to give,” says Jersey Mike’s Charlotte Franchise Owner, Nick Smith. He continues, “With that being part of our culture and being a dad myself, it was a natural fit for the greater Charlotte franchisees to partner with the Isabella Santos Foundation.  Erin Santos and her amazing team’s commitment to finding a cure for pediatric cancer is contagious. We are honored to be part of that team and look forward to many years of partnering with them during the Month of Giving.” 

For a list of the 43 participating restaurants in the greater Charlotte area and for more information on how you can show your support, visit the ISF website here. Everyone is invited to come into a local Jersey Mike’s restaurant and enjoy a delicious sub meal.

Last year’s Month of Giving campaign raised more than $7.3 million for 200 local charities nationwide. Since 2010, Jersey Mike’s locations throughout the country have raised more than $41 million for local charities and distributed more than 2 million free sub sandwiches to help numerous causes. 

“I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to you and the entire Jersey Mike’s crew for the generous Month of Giving to the Isabella Santos Foundation,” says Melissa Scanlon, Charlotte Cancer Mom. “My daughter was diagnosed with cancer on her 3rd birthday and received outstanding care at Levine Children’s so I know firsthand what you are helping to support there. ISF has done so much to expand the treatment options for children and support these families in our community. Your donation and partnership are huge in making that happen.”

For more information about Jersey Mike’s Subs Month of Giving and how you can support the Isabella Santos Foundation during the month of March, learn more here.

For images from last year’s campaign, please click here.

About Isabella Santos Foundation

The Isabella Santos Foundation (ISF) is a 501(c)3 childhood cancer foundation dedicated to raising funds for research for rare pediatric cancers, and charities that directly impact the lives of children with cancer. ISF was founded in honor of Isabella Santos from Charlotte, N.C. who lost her battle against neuroblastoma. ISF is committed to improving rare pediatric cancer treatment options in an effort to increase the survival rate of kids with cancer so they can live their dreams. ISF has donated over $4 million to date to expand the scope of pediatric cancer research and treatment, and to fill various needs surrounding childhood cancers. For more information, visit www.isabellasantosfoundation.org or connect with ISF on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Jersey Mike’s Subs

Jersey Mike’s, a fast-casual sub sandwich franchise with more than 1,500 locations open and under development nationwide, believes that making a sub sandwich and making a difference can be one and the same.  Jersey Mike’s offers A Sub Above®, serving authentic fresh sliced subs on freshly baked bread – the same recipe it started within 1956 – and is passionate about giving back to its local communities. For more information, please visit www.jerseymikes.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 

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Free Sub Alert, Jersey Mike’s Grand Opening Fundraiser – March 4-8

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Join us at the brand new Jersey Mike’s Subs opening in South Charlotte, NC at 7741 Colony Road (Colony Place Shopping Center)… and enjoy a FREE sub on ISF! For each coupon redeemed, March 4-8, Jersey Mike’s Subs will donate $3.00 to the Isabella Santos Foundation. Since 2018, Jersey Mike’s has donated over $300,000 to ISF. Its simple, eat a sub and support pediatric cancer.

Coupons can be scanned off your phone.

Event Details

– Who: Jersey Mike’s Subs
– What: Grand Opening Fundraiser – $3 Donated For Every Coupon Redeemed
– When: March 4-8, 2020
– Where: 7741 Colony Road, Charlotte NC

Available Coupons:
– Free Regular Sub (with a minimum $3.00 donation to ISF)
– Buy a Regular Sub Get a Regular Sub FREE!
– $28.95 Meal Deal – 2 Giant Subs, 4 Chips and (4) 22oz Drinks
– $2.00 OFF ANY SUB

COUPONS CAN BE SCANNED OFF YOUR PHONE.

Jersey Mike’s Month of Giving

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1oth Annual Jersey Mike’s Day of Giving

We are so excited to partner with the greater Charlotte area Jersey Mike’s locations all month long for their Month of Giving. Save the date, Wednesday March 25th, and join us for their Day of Giving. Grab a sub (or 10) because 100% of sales will be going to our foundation. Last year, $167,319.87 was raised during Jersey Mike’s Month of Giving for the Isabella Santos Foundation and pediatric cancer research! Since 2018 more than $300,000 has been raised!

CHANGE FOR PEDIATRIC CANCER IS JUST A FEW BITES AWAY…

It’s simple. Follow These 3 Easy Steps To Participate:

  1. Eat at 43 greater Charlotte Jersey Mike’s Subs throughout the month of March, use the coupons below, and buy a cookie.  100% of cookie sales go back to the foundation all month long.
  2. March 25th is the ‘Day of Giving’ where 100% of sales go back to the Isabella Santos Foundation at participating stores in the Greater Charlotte area.  Put it on your calendar now so you don’t forget, invite your coworkers, family, and friends to lunch or dinner on this day. And download the Jersey Mikes App, skip the lines!
  3. Work in an office?  Order for your team, pick up for the group, eat lunch together.  You can call in your group order ahead of Day of Giving on March 25th.

LOCATIONS

43 Participating greater Charlotte Jersey Mike’s locations

IN STORE COUPONS 

3/2-3/8 ($1 off Regular or Giant) 

3/9-3/15 (Buy a regular sub get the second for $3.99) 

3/16-3/21 (Free chip and drink with any sub purchase after 4 p.m.) 

3/22-3/24 only ($1 off Regular or Giant) 

New Decade. New Look.

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New decade. New look. ISF is evolving and growing.  Just like Isabella would be if she were still here. She would be thinking about her future, getting ready to drive, maybe even getting a job… she’d be growing up. 

And The Isabella Santos Foundation is too.  We are beyond excited about the direction ISF is heading. Every detail from our logo and the colors we use, to our mission and our giving program is evolving with intention and purpose behind every element.   

Hello new logo…

As we evolve as a foundation and honestly as a team, we are feeling a little emotional as we say goodbye to our little girl logo. She has been with us from the beginning and she has shown up in all that we have done to get to this point. 

Over 12 years ago we started with our first logo, an innocent and childlike stick girl, a simple representation of Isabella as she was first diagnosed with cancer. What started out as a stick figure little girl in which Isabella could easily draw and color, became a symbol of her legacy. 

In the beginning it was only about her.  That simple logo moved and shaped into a life of its own.  We have seen her running, drawing and perched up proud at every event and fundraiser and has occupied a front row spot on everything we would print.  Our little girl evolved to a ‘Girl on the World’ because that is how we saw Isabella.  And while It started with her, she is still changing the world. But as we grow, we have realized it has become about others. Others just like her.

It was Isabella’s dream to “Beat cancer, grow hair, and live my dreams.” ISF was founded in her name and dedicates itself to expanding its impact to others, so kids with rare cancers have a fighting chance. It has become about all of them. It is so they can run, draw and take a front row spot at their favorite event. Isabella is the legacy and will always be our little girl. In order to continue changing the world…she would want our focus to be on them.

Updated mission, updated purpose…

You never know you need a foundation like ISF, until it’s too late. As parents focus on fighting for their child, we are working to bring change.  

Over the past 12 years ISF has granted nearly $4 million toward expanding the scope of research and treatment, and supporting families dealing with cancer in a variety of ways.

  • $1.9M+ donated to Levine Children’s (tag)
  • $1.2M+ donated to National Pediatric Cancer Trials & Studies
  • $500K+ donated in Family Support

Our relentless pursuit to help kids Beat Cancer, Grow Hair and Live Their Dreams in Isabella’s honor requires tremendous support from the community and from our donors. Our vision is to inspire a 360 degree impact for kids fighting rare cancers… from diagnosis, to treatment and ultimately, to survivorship.

Introducing the Beat. Grow. Live. Targeted Giving Program which will give you the ability to directly support how you want to impact the fight against pediatric cancer. Whether you have a tie to a specific cancer, a strong feeling to help fund a trial in tribute of a loved one or simply believe in donating to give pediatric cancer lasting change. Whatever speaks to you, we want you to feel the impact of your donation.

Beat Cancer, Investing in Rare Pediatric Cancer Research, 70% of our Mission

Grow Hair, Improving Trials & Studies, 20% of our Mission

Live My Dreams, Supporting Families Affected by Cancer, 10% of our Mission

Asking Others to Give Back For My Birthday

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It’s Erin, Isabella’s Mommy… today is my birthday. Each year, I try to act like my birthday isn’t that big of a deal, but for those of you who really know me… it is. In years past it has really been a celebration that lasted well over 10 days. There were private celebrations, lunch celebrations, a girl’s trip, some kind of romantic thing – I loved it all. Maybe it is because there aren’t many times throughout the year where I feel comfortable celebrating myself. Mother’s Day? Forget about it. Christmas? I pride myself on being a great gift giver and love that. So… my birthday is the one day that I can and that is all me.

Some people have birthdays that are during the best times of the year. One of my friends has a Cinco de Mayo birthday… um, I want this. My birthday , on the flipside, is the WORST time of year. February 2nd. Groundhog Day. Also, often times falls on SuperBowl, which is hands down the worst birthday for a woman – ever. So maybe this is why I take the day on and try to make it my own.
But now that I’m a grown adult, I don’t anticipate the birthday for the gifts that I’m going to get. I don’t have that pair of shoes on the wish list for months, waiting for this day so I can unwrap them in a fancy restaurant. These days, I buy absolutely ridiculous shoes like most women – when I can’t afford them, on a bad day of work. But… it is never a regret.

So, at the ripe (and I mean ripe) old age of 43, I chose to do the responsible thing ask others to give back. The death of Madison Fedak over the holidays shook me. Like, rattled me to the core. I kept my distance from her for a long time because she reminded me so much of Isabella. Her look, her demeanor, the way that she interacted with Rachel, even the way that Sophia became so drawn to her. Then she went into remission. I let my guard down because I felt like it became safer. This little girl was going to make it and she could be one of those stories I was so happy to be a small part of.

Then, she relapsed. As a parent of a child with rare cancer, relapses aren’t good. All this work we do, all this money we try to raise… and I’m watching it take one of my favorite people I have met since Isabella died. I remember texting her Mom, while crying and apologizing that we didn’t do something fast enough for her. It was that helpless feeling all over again. This family would speak at our events and drive two hours from their hometown, if we asked, and in the end – it felt like it was all for nothing, because the dreaded story ended the same way. To be honest, I began to question what we were really accomplishing here at ISF.

But, a couple of weeks after her death, I finally had the strength to write a letter to her mom. This is a horrible club that we belong to. But sometimes, someone is sent to us and then taken away. And way too soon. But in their absence, change is made. Isabella was one of those kids, and Madison is another. While I know this doesn’t make the loss any different for her parents, I know that it will over time.

So instead of buying (those overly expensive and way too impractical shoes that seem so “fun”,) I’m asking for donations in honor of Madison. Because she is one of the reasons we are doing what we are doing here at ISF and because she was one of those kids. There was something really special and I want to honor her because she truly was so much like Isabella. That is truly the best birthday gift I can think of. We selected an Osteosarcoma trial in her honor and it’s so much more important than these shoes. Best part, it’s crazy easy to do these birthday fundraisers. Facebook targets you right around your special day and ASKS you if you want to create a charity fundraiser for your birthday. I saw it and thought, “Hell yes.”. A couple of easy clicks later, I set a goal and clicked “share”. The first night I raised over $500. I woke up to donations and smiled because I realized that maybe this is the birthday present we should all give ourselves.

…But. I’ll eventually get the shoes too. 😉

My Facebook Fundraiser