Dear Friends:
My husband and I have been working very closely with the CF Foundation for about six years now. Our youngest daughter, Jacqueline, age 7, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at 8 months old. This is a dreadful disease that wreaks havoc on a person’s organs. After realizing that we could not kiss her and make her better, we decided to put all our love, energy and efforts into finding a cure.
In May of 2001, a month after Jacqueline was diagnosed; our friends and family rallied together and raised $21,000 for our 1st Great Strides Walk at Rye Playland, New York.
In May of 2002, with the kindness and generosity of the Jedlicka family and the hard work of Kristen, Dawn, Dana & Lisa, we had our 1st of many fundraisers. It was a success. Each year since, we have grown in numbers and donations.
In 2004, Jacqueline’s preschool also helped in our fundraising efforts. We had our 1st Child’s Play Nursery School Dance-A-Thon. Not only did Jacqueline and all her little friends dance and have a lot of fun, but we also raised awareness about Cystic Fibrosis; as only 30,000 children and young adults have this disease in this country and many people usually have no clue what the disease really is.
In 2005, we added Freezin For A Reason. To our surprise, it was the most amazing and successful fundraiser of them all. All our family and friends joined together to jump in Lake Mahopac, New York. We froze our butts off. It was so much fun. We laughed so hard.
In 2006, we added Freezin For A Reason, Ice Skating Event at Brewster Ice Arena. Thanks to the kindness of Steve Santini, all monies are donated to the CF Foundation. The turn out was a success because of the hard work of Fulmar's Gym Teachers spreading the word to all the Mahopac Elementary Schools. Not only did the kids have fun skating with their teachers, but it also helped raise money and awareness for CF Research.
As of 2008, with the love, support and generosity of our family and friends and all their hard work to spread the word about Cystic Fibrosis, we have raised approximately $411,000 for the Foundation. That buys Jacqueline and all the other children and young adults a whole lot of research to find a cure. It also buys them more birthdays and a better quality of life, which is priceless.
Sincerely,
Pudgie and Christine
