2019 ISF Run & Brunch 5K for Kids Cancer Helps Bring in $230,000 for Pediatric Cancer

This year’s ISF 5K, 10K & Fun Run for Kids Cancer presented by Red Ventures was extra special with our yummy brunch provided by Firebirds Wood Fired GrillTito’s Handmade Vodka, and NoDa Brewing Company! A huge thank you to our brunch sponsors for cooking up the most delicious post-race meal. Keep a look-out for next year’s menu! During the month of September we were able to raise just over $230,000! We couldn’t have done it without YOU!

Thank you to the businesses that made this new feature possible and who give consistently give so much back to our community…

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill went over the top to make sure brunch was like no other brunch you have ever seen! Gourmet brunch actually! The thought and time their Chef and team put into this event was impressive. The food options were scrumptious! Thank you to their team and family who planned, cooked and served their hearts out! Make sure you stop into one of their several restaurants for lunch or dinner around town… and let them know how good brunch was when you do!

Is there such a thing as ‘Cool Bar Setup’? If so, Tito’s Handmade Vodkaran away with it for sure! Tito’s also presented us with a $10,000 check at the beginning of the race which was a dollar for dollar match through the annual 106.5 The End The Woody and Wilcox Show Purple Ticket fundraiser. Tito’s has been so good to us over the years and we couldn’t be more appreciative of their support and partnership. We all drink no other vodka brand now… and hope you think about how companies give back when you make purchases. 

It’s hard to express what the NoDa Brewing Company family means to our foundation. No matter what event we have, no matter what we are doing… they are right by our side supporting, giving our team words of encouragement and sending us notes of appreciation. NoDa not only brought out plenty of NoDa beer & spiked seltzer selections, but they brought out a huge group of their NoDa run crew. Having this family part of our special day gave us the chills. Thank you to every single member of the NoDa family for showing up big in Ballantyne. Next time you stop into the brewery, give them a thanks for all that they do!

The best part of this new brunch… we watched all our supporters run/walk together as friends and family. And then watched you all visit, laugh, hug and catch up over good food and drinks. That definatley was the icing on the donut! What a perfect day! 

Next fall will be here before you know it, so SAVE THE DATE! September 26, 2020

Wilson’s World: Learning More About the Upcoming Isabella Santos Foundation 5K for Kids Cancer (WCCB Wilson’s World)

Originally posted on WCCB

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Wilson was at the corporate offices of Red Ventures this morning where he was previewing the 12th Annual Isabella Santos Foundation 5K for Kids Cancer that will be held on Saturday, September 28th.

The Isabella Santos Foundation is named for young Isabella Santos who was diagnosed in 2007 of neuroblastoma.  Thanks to donors she was able to receive blood and platelet transfusions that gave her 5 more years of smiles and memories.  Her legacy continues through the foundation and their fight to help other children with cancer.  More information on the Isabella Santos Foundation can be found at their website isabellasantosfoundation.org.

Participants can sign up for the 5k, a 10k, a kids fun run and even a brunch.  This year’s event is sponsored by Red Ventures and includes raffles and a kid’s zone with games, bouncy houses, face painting and more.

The event will be held at Ballantyne Corporate Park on Saturday, Septemer 28th from 8am until 11am.  Get more information on the event as well as to sign up to participate or donate HERE.

September 28th is going to be the “BEST DAY EVER!”

Our 5K/10K BRUNCH on September 28 is going to be a no-joke kind of brunch. We aren’t talking about just donuts and simply eggs and bacon. How does chicken and waffle sandwiches with honey hot sauce sound? How about fried green tomatoes with country ham, goat cheese, and pepper jelly? Beignets anyone? That is just a small sample of the incredible brunch menu Firebirds Wood Fired Grill Executive Chef is creating! 

We had so much fun with these cute kiddos and Chef cooking up some scrumptious samples for our 12th Annual 5k,10k & Fun Run for Kids Cancer The kids created beignets. They decorated pancakes. They made the best mess and ate all the sugar. Stay tuned… we will start sharing all the goodness Chef is planning next week. 

Thank you to our presenting sponsor Red Ventures and our Brunch sponsors Firebirds Wood Fired GrillTito’s Handmade Vodka and NoDa Brewing Company for helping us create the best event yet! Special thank you to Chef Chuck Asher and Swanson-Girard & Associates for hosting our messy fun in their kitchen!

Get registered and don’t forget to add on the BRUNCH and drink option when you do:  5kforkidscancer.com

Summer Executive Director Dish

August.  Ahhhh…  I love August.  There are so many things I love about this month.  School is approaching, which means the Fortnite screaming will come to a screeching halt, AND I love being on a schedule and at home.  It’s time. My kids thrive on a schedule and we are all better people with bedtimes and alarms.  Also, vacations are coming to a close, which is a good thing for us here at ISF.  We try to stay motivated all year long, but emails we send tend to sit in an inbox during the months of June and July and usually around mid-August, and then begin to get returned to us much faster and the response time shortens.  We love that. ☺

Erin, Isabella & Grant at ISF 5K for Kids Cancer, 2011

For those of you who have been with us for a while now, you know our fall is the shizzle.  We do everything we can to make our flagship event bigger and better each year … with intention.  I personally love the our 5K/10K race more than any event we do because it is where it all started, which was with Isabella. I remember how excited she was as the event was approaching.  In Isabella style, she would always seem to relapse in August, which meant year after year, our volunteers, friends and loved ones would step up and put on an event to remember for her.  Some years she could run it with hair that could barely be pulled back into pig tails and some years she was pulled in a red wagon, chubby from the steroids of a recent brain relapse.  What I loved year after year was seeing the people who made this foundation what it is today.  I know everyone gets busy and it’s hard to stay involved with us year-round.  But the race was different.  People put it on their calendars, they brought new people each year who would say, “Holy crap?  This isn’t a race… this is festival!” and then those people would come every year after.  I also love seeing the new people who didn’t know her or me and are just blown away by what we do.  It all just gives me goose bumps to know it’s coming up… and it’s coming soon.

So, what can you expect this year?  Look, I’m not just going to say it’s amazing because I’m the Executive Director.  But it’s going to be amazing.  What you will see this year is an added component that we should have done YEARS AGO!  BRUNCH.  And we are not talking about eggs and bacon.  We are talking about a no joke kind of brunch.  We have teamed up with Firebirds, Tito’s Vodka and Noda Brewing Company to give you a brunch like you have never seen.  We are excited to share more Brunch menu items in the coming weeks, but here’s just a sample of what your taste buds may experience…

  • Chicken and Waffle Sandwiches with honey hot sauce
  • Smoked Pork and scrambled egg tacos with jack cheese and avocado pico
  • Beignets
  • Shrimp and Grits with Tasso Gravy
  • Muffuletta Sandwiches
  • Fried Green Tomatoes with Country ham, Goat Cheese & Pepper Jelly
  • Biscuit Avocado Toast with a Poached Egg
  • Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit
  • Kid’s Pancake & Doughnut Stations
Chicken and Waffle Sandwiches with honey hot sauce

Not to mention, a whole host of brunch drinks provided by Tito’s and Noda Brewing.  Bloody Mary’s anyone? 

So, for those of you who kick out the 5k/10k and try to fill your belly with Chick-Fil-A like you have in years past, you can still do that. and much more. Now, you have the opportunity to REALLY FILL THAT BELLY, and for those of you who don’t want to walk or run, you can just buy the brunch and chill, while your kids play in the Kids Zone and you bid on auction items.  Yeah, it’s going to be the shizzle as we say.  But you will need a brunch wristband, so you betta get one.

Be warned.  Tickets for the brunch are going to be more expensive on the day of, so don’t let the smells of the morning be the trigger.  Get on it now.  Register for the race, buy the brunch.  Be there.  This is going to be our best one yet.  Thank you to our title sponsor Red Ventures and BRUNCH sponsors who are helping us make this year epic.  Go to 5kforkidscancer.com for all the details.

And of course, none of this can happen without your support, so reach out to us!  Volunteer, help with the auction, buy something for us on #WishWednesday, create a team of runners, fundraise on our behalf, spread the word, bring your whole neighborhood, sponsor the race.  Just do something.  My team of women are working to the bone to blow you all away and sometimes just a little help from your friends goes a long way and motivates us even more.  

We can’t wait to see you all on September 28th.  You’ll find me in the brunch zone with a drink in hand – I mean… it all goes to charity, right?

Thanks for the support over all these years!

Erin Santos, Isabella’s Mommy

READ ISF SKINNY SUMMER 2019 EDITION

Isabella Santos Foundation 5K and 10K for Kids Cancer Raises $225,000

The Isabella Santos Foundation announced that its 11th Annual 5K/10K for Kids Cancer and 1-Mile Fun Run has raised $225,000.

Three thousand people participated in this year’s race that took place on Sept. 29 in Ballantyne Corporate Park. The family-friendly event also featured a post-race festival that included: a Kids Fun Zone with games, face painting, slides, jump house and photo booth; food and refreshments; activity booths; and a silent auction and raffle. Brighthouse Financial served as the presenting sponsor. The following is a link to additional event sponsors.

“Huge thanks to all who joined us for our annual 5K and 10K for Kids Cancer! The event was a big success and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Isabella’s life and raise funds for pediatric cancer research,” said Erin Santos, Executive Director and President of the Isabella Santos Foundation. “We appreciate our generous sponsors and dedicated staff, volunteers, participants and spectators for supporting Isabella’s dream of a world with no more cancer.”

About Isabella Santos Foundation

The Isabella Santos Foundation (ISF) is a 501(c)3 childhood cancer foundation dedicated to raising funds for research for neuroblastoma, other 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 works to improve rare pediatric cancer treatment options in an effort to improve the survival rate of kids with cancer. For more information, visit www.isabellasantosfoundation.org  or follow ISF on Facebook (www.facebook.com/IsabellaSantosFoundation), Instagram (www.instagram.com/theisfoundation) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/TheISFoundation)