Wednesday, June 28, 2023

THE VALERIE FUND

BECAUSE YOU CAN’T ALWAYS MOOCH  

Your traveling tightwads recently opened their wallet for a noble cause and despite the lame joke we were very happy to donate and participate in a charity called the Valerie Fund.
For 40 years the Valerie Fund has been helping children with cancer and blood disorders get comprehensive treatment closer to home. Started by Ed and Sue Goldstein after their daughter passed in 1977, the event we participated in was a 5K run and walk in Verona Park, in Verona, New Jersey. I grew up in the area, so it was great to see the old stomping grounds again.
We were recruited for this day by Janet’s college chum Patsy, whose grandson Trey sadly suffers from a form of leukemia, that thankfully is curable. Regardless, the support for Trey, and all the similarly afflicted children was immense, and we were very proud to help in our small way.
In fact, Team Trey’s entourage was the largest of the entire gathering, and they raised the most money for the Valerie Fund and were recognized as such at the end of the day’s festivities. For our donation we were given Valerie Fund t-shirts as we paraded around the idyllic Verona Park led by the banner carried by the team leaders and feasted on food donations by several area restaurants. We even got commemorative chocolate bars courtesy of Team Trey!!!
If you would like to donate money to the Valerie Fund’s cause and specifically Trey, go to the website and assign to his name and follow the website’s instructions. Or you can send the money to me, and I can forward it to Patsy where she’ll put it in Trey’s personal account. 
Don’t worry, I’ll see they get the money.
I promise.
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY
Now, the Valerie Fund is just one of several such charitable organizations devoted to this cause. Probably the most renown organization is the St. Jude’s research hospitals. Founded in 1962 by the actor Danny Thomas (Marlo Thomas’s pop), St. Jude’s pushes for cures and preventative care for pediatric diseases through research and treatment all free of charge.
One can donate directly to this, or any other organizations dedicated to this cause through their website, or participate in a fund-raising event, as we did with the Valerie Fund. A few years ago, my daughter Ally ran the Nashville Half-marathon. I donated money to her team and then was able to track her progress on the computer back home. I was very proud that she not only ran the race, but also to help St. Jude’s.

OTHER CHARITIES
On-line searches reveal plenty of other charities. Here’s a quick list of some of them and you can decide if you can donate money or time in a fund-raising event.





All charities are worthy, but they must have a clear goal. Read through the website about their mission statement as a charitable organization. Without clear and attainable goals, even the best intentions may fall short or even fail, squandering your donation of money or time. So, be diligent and check to see if the charity has a measurable target and learn what its progress is in attaining their set goals. Check their finances and stats. Any trustworthy organization will provide upon request. And, if you’re not sure where to go talk to others who may have some knowledge of the charity, for word-of-mouth first-hand experience does go a long way.

Thanks for reading.
Love Trey!
© 2023 by Gregory Dunaj

No comments:

Post a Comment