Tag Archive for: childhood cancer

2017 Sustaining Sponsor: PSL Source/Maxim Tickets

As we move into crunch time for our 10th Annual 5K/10K and Fun Run for Kids Cancer, we want to make sure we take the time to thank our sponsors who help make this event possible.  We have had several companies decide to partner with us for the entire year as a Sustaining Sponsor.  A Sustaining Sponsor is an annual sponsor of the Isabella Santos Foundation. Support from sponsors are what enable our continued level of success.

PSL Source/Maxim Tickets has supported ISF for years.  They consistently donate event/game tickets to the Isabella Santos Foundation for our auction and giveaways.  This year they stepped up as a 2017 sustaining sponsor in an effort to support us in fighting childhood cancer.

Check them out for sports and concert needs and buy and sell Carolina Panthers PSLs securely and hassle-free at PSLsource.com.

PSL SOURCE:  Buy and sell Carolina Panthers PSLs (Personal Seat License) and become a season ticket holder for the upcoming 2017 season, and every year after at Bank of America Stadium.

Benefits for buyers:

  • No buyer’s fees or “finder’s fees”
  • Unmatched selection – most BELOW MARKET
  • Expert staff & market analysis
  • Payments are secured and guaranteed

Benefits for sellers:

  • FREE to create an account
  • FREE to create your listing
  • YOU control the negotiation
  • LOW commission, only if your seat sells

Maxim Tickets – Looking to purchase single game tickets or season tickets for the Carolina Panthers? Visit maximtickets.com.  We offer a huge selection of Carolina Panthers tickets including Panther season ticket packages and Panther parking for the season.

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Maxim Tickets/PSL Source

Maxim Tickets has operated from Charlotte, NC for over a decade. As one of the industry’s premium independent broker of high-demand tickets, Maxim Tickets is known for a superior selection, great prices, and service. Memberships include the National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB), the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce (CCC).

1st Annual Cocktails For A Cure

We are absolutely thrilled to announce the results of our 1st Annual COCKTAILS FOR A CURE.
 
Earlier this month, and over the course of two inaugural events, more than 250 men and women gathered in Columbus, OH to not only learn more about Isabella’s story …but also gathered to fill rooms with hope.

Hope for a cure. 

Sassy Bow-Flow

This two-day event served as a call to action in the fight against pediatric cancer and to educate community members on the importance of bringing pediatric cancer treatments home to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. On Wednesday, August 2, we gathered at the trendy Fox In The Snow for an intimate setting and heard from families fighting locally and from the Doctors that care for them, on the need for more research and treatment options. The following evening, more than 200 people came to The Forge at Pillar Technology for a night of inspiration and hope. Among the stars of the evening were and her DJ, the incredible food and drinks provided by Pillar, an amazing raffle and silent auction put together by a team of volunteers in the Ohio area, and an introduction of Isabella and ISF to the city of Columbus through an emotional and touching presentation. 

We are blown away and beyond grateful that the overall event raised over $26,000 and donations keep coming in. With your help- WE DID it! We accomplished our goal and will be sending Nationwide Children’s Hospital a donation in the amount of $30,000 to fund the Neuroblastoma Genomics Based Therapy and Discovery Project. This amount, gifted on behalf of The Isabella Santos Foundation  will be for a comprehensive research work-up including whole genome sequencing for patients with Neuroblastoma.

We are proud of our first expansion event and love the city we chose. Columbus is known for its philanthropic ways and we hope to be back year after year to help grow our foundation in Ohio and to help the local community. We want to thank all of the businesses who supported our efforts through sponsorships. We could not have done this without you. 

 
Additionally, we want to send a special thank you to the village of individual people that we had on the ground to help pull it off. Without the hands and feet of this great team, our event would not have been the success that it was. 

Chris Culley
Lauren Culley and Jeff Excell
Connie and Bob Stewart
Amy and Mike Raubenolt
Dr. Nilay and Denise Shah
Dr. Keri Streby
Dr. Mark Ranalli
Dr. Tim Cripe
Brent and Kate Shaw
Dorie Wilson
Nancy Preston
Mollie Lynch
Lee Lander
Jenny Barker
Allyssa Cackler
Mike and Julie Wander

Daisy Duhl
Beth Sheehan
PILLAR Technology Staff


To everyone who supports us…we cannot begin to put words to how grateful that we are for the impact you are helping us make. We are so proud of what we have accomplished together and it is because of YOU. We did not do this alone and could not continue our fight without your help. We humbly thank each of you and look forward to a world with no more cancer where we will beat cancer, grow hair and live the dreams of all children fighting the fight.  VIEW ALL EVENT PHOTOS BY BETH SHAHEEN HERE

With gratitude,
The ISF Team

Celebrating 10 years: She should have been a runner

Isabella Santos is a name that many people recognize in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. She has become synonymous with Neuroblastoma and other orphan cancers. Her parents started the Isabella Santos Foundation as a way of keeping her memory alive and help reach her wish of  ‘No More Cancer’.  As we celebrate 10 years of the foundation we thought it fitting to share with you the impact Isabella and ISF has made on the people who are a part of and support our growing organization. 

Children who are diagnosed with cancer are the smallest fighters, but they do not fight alone. Fighting alongside these tiny victims are the parents, siblings, relatives, neighbors, extended family, and friends. They are silent gladiators and resilient people who walk alongside these children and their immediate families. When a child is lost from cancer those supporters become the unseen victims and lose something, as well…. they lose what should have been.  It is these supporters we celebrate for helping us grow.

She should have been a runner.

“Volunteers don’t necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” Elizabeth Andrew

Colleen on the left with Isabella

Today we introduce you to Colleen Hinsberg. She has known Isabella’s parents since their days at Lending Tree as co-workers. She has been part of the race since its conception and the Race Director for the past 4 years. It is her dedication, time, and passion that have allowed the race to grow and flourish like it has.  Colleen is working hard with her team to knock our 10th Anniversary Race out of the park.

So many amazing people are associated with The Isabella Santos Foundation. Some of these people have been there from the very beginning and others have been called to action once they met or learned about Isabella.

Tell us about your connection to The Isabella Santos Foundation and tell us how long you’ve known the Santos family?

Gosh it’s hard to believe that I have known them for over 13 years!  Stuart, Erin and I all worked together at Lending Tree. I knew them before they got married. I was one of the excited ones to learn that they were having a baby and then later that she was a girl. I worked with Stuart at 2 other jobs so I have been actively involved in the many events since Isabella was diagnosed.

Families faced with a seriously sick child meet the challenge in so many different ways. Erin and Stuart chose to not only fight for Isabella, but to create a foundation in her name that would bring awareness to Neuroblastoma and work to find a cure for all children.

Meghan and crew at the lemonade stand

When you first heard about Erin and Stuart’s idea for a Foundation what were your thoughts? 

I was thrilled. Before that point we had done a lot of things to raise money for Isabella’s treatment, a lot of which Stuart and Erin were giving to foundations that were supporting Neuroblastoma research. When they decided to fight the disease head on and form a foundation I knew they would do great things.  I had seen what they were accomplishing just within their network and how people were so willing to help. I knew that an official foundation would be huge.

Are you a part of the Isabella Santos Foundation today? If so, in what way are you involved?

I am on the Board of Directors for the Foundation as Race Director. This year (the 10th anniversary race) is going to be my 4th year in this role.  For all 10 years I have been actively involved with the race, helping coordinate all of the details that go into an event this large.

Volunteering is something that is done by people who clearly understand how important giving back is. Isabella seemed to understand that at such a young age. She inspired so many people to take action. Isabella made a lasting impression on so many people. Not only the people who knew her personally, but on countless strangers and readers of Erin’s Caring Bridge posts.

Colleen with Isabella, Stuart, and other volunteers at City Search

Can you share your fondest memories of her? 

My fondest memories of Isabella all wrap around how open and kind she was to my daughters. Through the years they would see her as we dropped food at the house, attended events, meetings and of course on race day. Isabella always was cute and polite and most importantly kind to these girls who were not part of her inner circle. Isabella somehow still seemed to know that Julia and Meghan were involved and 100% onboard with her mission to Beat Grow Live.   At the 2011 race, when it was pouring down rain and Isabella wanted to stop and dance in the rain, she grabbed my girls to be there with her.  That’s such a testament of who she was- Open, Kind and willing to stop and dance in the rain with whoever would join her.

How has Isabella impacted your life?

She hasn’t just impacted me; the support of the foundation is really a Hinsberg family effort.  Because of Isabella my family now has a cause. We now work hard to support something outside of our day-to-day lives. We take action- we run, we volunteer, we hold lemonade stands.  We speak in public- to classmates, to running groups and to local supporters. We see the satisfaction in paying things forward. We love purple and we look for dragonflies. We appreciate life and realize how precious it is. We learned to grieve, and we decided then to join the Santos Family in putting in lots of personal effort to find a cure for Childhood Cancer so no one else we know has to go through that kind of loss. 

Julia getting ready to raise money

How do you feel ISF’s call to action has made a difference over the last 10 years?

10 years ago the call to action was mostly a show of support.  A sense of “We are with you as you go through this horrible thing”. Even in the early years, Stuart and Erin decided that the shift need to be made to “this is bigger than us, we need to do more”.   We can all see what a difference that has made.  ISF is now one of the most well-known and respected charities in Charlotte.  The number of people who are supporting and even more importantly, passionate about the foundation is just amazing to see- not just here but across the county.  I am in awe of the amount of money we have been able to donate to Neuroblastoma research and other organizations that help children with pediatric cancer.  And year after year, when we ask our supporters are here to help. They know we are giving our all to make a difference and are happy to be a part of it.

Originally, the 5k for Kids Cancer run was a way of raising money to offset the financial burden that Isabella’s parents were faced with due to the overwhelming costs associated with saving Isabella’s life. It has turned into a major Charlotte event, adding a 10K and is raising hundreds of thousands of dollars.