Love for Xavier 2nd Annual
Donation protected
Hello Everone,
Xavier's birthday was this week (he would have been 3) and we spent the day remembering our wonderful time with him and reflecting on his deep presence in our lives today.
Analisa and I will once again be running a race in Xavier's honor in order to raise money for three awesome non-profits that are changing kids' lives. Last year we raised $10,000 for these non-profits and we thank each of you for assisting in this amazing result. This year we hope to do the same!
Here are the three non-profits we will be raising money for:
Children Gaucher Research Fund.
As you know, Xavier died last year from Type 2 Gaucher disease, a rare, neurodegenerative disease. We will be raising money for the Children's Gaucher Research Fund. The CGRF focuses on basic research into Gaucher disease, as there has traditionally been a lack of funds allocated to basic research. It is a 501(c)(3) organization and 100% of all donations are granted to qualified medical research institutions world-wide under the guidance of their Scientific Advisory Board and other experts in the field.
Learn More here: http://www.childrensgaucher.org
Not only may this research help kids with Gaucher disease, but it may be applicable to other diseases, especially Parkinson's. In fact, based in part on research sponsored by the Children's Gaucher Research Fund - scientists are increasingly convinced of a link between the two diseases. This past May, Analisa and I had the honor of attending a conference sponsored by the Children's Gaucher Research Fund exploring the link between Gaucher disease and Parkinson's Disease. The attendees included scientists from around the world with expertise in Gaucher disease and Parkinson's Disease including the two top scientists from the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Recently, two of the attendees authored a paper for Nature on this, a copy of which is attached.
Jacob's Heart:
In addition, we are again raising money for another amazing organization called Jacob's Heart. Jacob's Heart's mission is to support the quality of life for children with cancer and other serious illnesses and to support their families in the challenges that they face. Jacob's heart provides support through counseling services, education, direct financial support when needed, care packages, rides, and simply providing a connection. The staff at Jacob's Heart are some of the most gracious, courageous, caring people I have ever had the chance to meet. Since their founding they have supported over 600 children and over 2,000 family members. Donations to this organization change the lives of so many families that are facing such a challenging time.
Learn more here: http://www.jacobsheart.org
Medically Fragile Children's Foundation.
Lastly we will again be supporting the Medically Fragile Children's Foundation. These guys are awesome. They enable outings for the children at the CRC where Xavier lived. Their mission is to serve children who require medical technology and intervention to sustain life, and connect them with the innate experiences associated with growing up, just as their peers without such limitations experience. It's hard to travel with all the equipment medically fragile kids have-- this organization enabled Xavier to experience "pool days" during the summer, to meet zoo animals, and they organized an excursion for the kids to see the holiday lights in the local park at Christmas last year.
Learn more here: http://mfcfnc.org/
How you can support us:
1. Sponsor Our Run!! We've set up this GoFundMe website to make the donation process simple and easy:
Whether you can give $1 or $10,000, every little bit helps. Supporting this race means supporting the science to find a cure, and betters the lives of children and their families battling serious illnesses now, whether or not a cure is ever found. If you prefer to send a check that works too! Just shoot us an email if you don't have our mailing address.
2. Come run with us! - Come join us in Campbell (next to San Jose, California) for the Campbell Zombie costume run on October 29!
Here's the info: http://www.coastaltrailruns.com/h_halloween.html
There is a 5 Mile, Half-Marathon and Marathon to choose from. It is a very laid-back race. In fact, some people even walk. And if you want to join us in helping to raise money for these causes we can enable that! We welcome friends of friends of friends of friends.... The more the merrier!
3. Share This With Others! - We'd love it if you would share this with all of your friends and family-- Facebook is one of the best places to share. Even better if you include an introductory note at the top explaining why this is an awesome event to support if they don't know Xavier's story!
We are seeking to raise funds by October 29, 2016. The total amount raised will be split between each organization. Please help us improve the lives of kids facing difficult situations in their lives.
YOU REALLY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!
Thank you so much again for all of your support.
Geoff and Analisa
Help spread the word!
Xavier's birthday was this week (he would have been 3) and we spent the day remembering our wonderful time with him and reflecting on his deep presence in our lives today.
Analisa and I will once again be running a race in Xavier's honor in order to raise money for three awesome non-profits that are changing kids' lives. Last year we raised $10,000 for these non-profits and we thank each of you for assisting in this amazing result. This year we hope to do the same!
Here are the three non-profits we will be raising money for:
Children Gaucher Research Fund.
As you know, Xavier died last year from Type 2 Gaucher disease, a rare, neurodegenerative disease. We will be raising money for the Children's Gaucher Research Fund. The CGRF focuses on basic research into Gaucher disease, as there has traditionally been a lack of funds allocated to basic research. It is a 501(c)(3) organization and 100% of all donations are granted to qualified medical research institutions world-wide under the guidance of their Scientific Advisory Board and other experts in the field.
Learn More here: http://www.childrensgaucher.org
Not only may this research help kids with Gaucher disease, but it may be applicable to other diseases, especially Parkinson's. In fact, based in part on research sponsored by the Children's Gaucher Research Fund - scientists are increasingly convinced of a link between the two diseases. This past May, Analisa and I had the honor of attending a conference sponsored by the Children's Gaucher Research Fund exploring the link between Gaucher disease and Parkinson's Disease. The attendees included scientists from around the world with expertise in Gaucher disease and Parkinson's Disease including the two top scientists from the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Recently, two of the attendees authored a paper for Nature on this, a copy of which is attached.
Jacob's Heart:
In addition, we are again raising money for another amazing organization called Jacob's Heart. Jacob's Heart's mission is to support the quality of life for children with cancer and other serious illnesses and to support their families in the challenges that they face. Jacob's heart provides support through counseling services, education, direct financial support when needed, care packages, rides, and simply providing a connection. The staff at Jacob's Heart are some of the most gracious, courageous, caring people I have ever had the chance to meet. Since their founding they have supported over 600 children and over 2,000 family members. Donations to this organization change the lives of so many families that are facing such a challenging time.
Learn more here: http://www.jacobsheart.org
Medically Fragile Children's Foundation.
Lastly we will again be supporting the Medically Fragile Children's Foundation. These guys are awesome. They enable outings for the children at the CRC where Xavier lived. Their mission is to serve children who require medical technology and intervention to sustain life, and connect them with the innate experiences associated with growing up, just as their peers without such limitations experience. It's hard to travel with all the equipment medically fragile kids have-- this organization enabled Xavier to experience "pool days" during the summer, to meet zoo animals, and they organized an excursion for the kids to see the holiday lights in the local park at Christmas last year.
Learn more here: http://mfcfnc.org/
How you can support us:
1. Sponsor Our Run!! We've set up this GoFundMe website to make the donation process simple and easy:
Whether you can give $1 or $10,000, every little bit helps. Supporting this race means supporting the science to find a cure, and betters the lives of children and their families battling serious illnesses now, whether or not a cure is ever found. If you prefer to send a check that works too! Just shoot us an email if you don't have our mailing address.
2. Come run with us! - Come join us in Campbell (next to San Jose, California) for the Campbell Zombie costume run on October 29!
Here's the info: http://www.coastaltrailruns.com/h_halloween.html
There is a 5 Mile, Half-Marathon and Marathon to choose from. It is a very laid-back race. In fact, some people even walk. And if you want to join us in helping to raise money for these causes we can enable that! We welcome friends of friends of friends of friends.... The more the merrier!
3. Share This With Others! - We'd love it if you would share this with all of your friends and family-- Facebook is one of the best places to share. Even better if you include an introductory note at the top explaining why this is an awesome event to support if they don't know Xavier's story!
We are seeking to raise funds by October 29, 2016. The total amount raised will be split between each organization. Please help us improve the lives of kids facing difficult situations in their lives.
YOU REALLY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!
Thank you so much again for all of your support.
Geoff and Analisa
Help spread the word!
Organizer
analisa baker
Organizer
Santa Cruz, CA
