Saturday, September 25, 2010

TEAM GRIFFIN RALLY



Growing up my sister and I would walk to the park on weekend mornings for cheerleading games. My sister was the cheerleader and I was a mascot. We dressed in the red and white school colors and wore the letter 'M' emblazoned on the front of our sweaters. Back then we would shake the pom-poms and call out cheers exclaiming how our team's power and might would win over the other team. I recall some of the cheers talking about motorcycles and valley talk and went something like,

"..WE'RE GOING TO RIDE ON YOU LIKE A KAWASAKI, VROOM, VROOM, 2-3-4..."

and,

"...A-W-E-S-O-M-E, AWESOME, AWESOME, TO-TAL-LY..."

We cheered on, rain or shine, in hopes our team would win.

Today, my sister and I, will be walking together along with our family and friends in a very important walk. We will be cheering along the route and we may even call out the cheers about motorcycles and total awesomeness.
We will walk to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. That money will aid research and directly benefit those who are afflicted with blood cancers.

My sister Gretchen and my brother-in-law, Jon Maks, have a 4 year old son, Griffin, who is fighting Leukemia. The story of Griffin's fight is a daily battle.



We walk knowing these funds will benefit Griffin. We hope that research will find a cure. We hope we will win this battle. We hope you will join the fight.

The day is here and the LIGHT THE NIGHT WALK is tonight.

So I ask you reader, will you also rally for TEAM GRIFFIN?



These are the details for TEAM GRIFFIN:

1. Location -- Upper Hutchinson Field in Grant Park (SW corner of Columbus and Balbo -- PDF map of Grant Park enclosed); Team Griffin will gather at TENT 1 (the Kids' Tent).

2. Time to gather-- Festivities begin at 5:30pm -- for check-in and last-minute registration; for food and drink (5:30 - 7pm); to pickup freebies and such; to purchase additional Team Griffin T-shirts from Gretchen ($15 for adult, $10 for youth).

3. Time to walk -- the actual walk begins at 7pm and is about 2 miles long. If you're accompanied by people with short legs, you might want to bring a stroller. The walk should be done by 9pm.

4. Weather forecast -- it looks like it will be clear and cool in the 50's, and since we're on the lakefront, it might be breezy, so dress appropriately and wear comfortable shoes!

5. Team Griffin Group Picture -- hopefully we'll get an "official picture", or at least be organized enough to do one ourselves, at 6:30pm.

6. Parking -- there will be parking nearby at the Millennium Park lots (see enclosed PDF map of Grant Park), at parking lots west of S. Michigan Ave, and some nearby street parking.

7. Bring any additional funds you've raised (cash and checks)-- this is the opportunity to get acknowledged for money you raised for the walk; if you have raised $100 or more, you can collect a Light The Night t-shirt at one of the t-shirt tents (this is in addition to the Team Griffin shirt). If you've raised $500 or more, you will get a special pass to the VIP Tent, which will have MORE food, an open bar and other goodies. If you've raised at least $1000, you will get a 2nd VIP pass!

8. There will be a Kid's Corner opening at 5:30pm for a variety of fun activities, including a bounce house, face painting, games, prizes and more!

9. If you're walking to remember a loved one you've lost to leukemia or lymphoma, join others for the Remembrance Ceremony at 6:45pm at the main stage.

10. Call Gretchen or Jon with any questions or concerns.

11. WEAR YOUR 2010 TEAM GRIFFIN T-SHIRTS!



See you there!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Will You Join The Fight?




2 More Days left until the LIGHT The NIGHT

Will you be joining us?

Come on out tonight for yummy food, great people, and good times.

TEAM GRIFFIN'S KICK OFF PARTY

Thursday September 23, 2010

HOULIHAN'S RESTAURANT
550 W. Touhy
Park Ridge, IL
847.692.6505

6PM-9PM


There will be free appetizers for our bunch

20% of dinner receipts will be donated to TEAM GRIFFIN

Fundraising continues with T-Shirt sales...get them while they are hot!

Come on out and meet GODZILLA he is hungry for your donations.

Raffle prizes a plenty.

Catch Griffin and his family here and the first round of Root Beer is on me!

Make a donation and find Godzilla at the event or link to TEAM GRIFFIN



(GODZILLA creation c/o Wayne Rizal-president CALAMBA ASSOCIATION of ILLINOIS)




The Maks family house is brimming with last minute details for the walk coming up this Saturday. Gretchen and Jon continue their efforts to raise funds for the walk as well as quell any tantrums inevitable among the Maks siblings.

Last night Griffin busy playing hide-n-seek with his cousins and made out to be a very good hider and seeker.

Want to find out more about this little dude?

Meet him tonight and JOIN the Fight!

See you there!

Monday, September 13, 2010

2010 Light the Night Walk *Team Griffin*

I remember the day when I was a kid playing endlessly at the park, climbing the monkey bars, spinning in the tire swing, and jumping on the teeter-totter. I played until the park lights started to flicker on and the setting sun cast it's last rays.







Over the weekend, Griffin (my 4 year old nephew), took a break from playing in the park to capture a few smiling images. We had walked a few steps around the jungle gym to find a spot for him to show off his cheeky smile and he said to me,

"I can't walk far because my legs hurt."

I proceeded to find out more about the discomfort that afflicted Griffin, and asked him my cadre of questions to find cause for his pain. Griffin answered my what, where, when, why, and how framework of questions. Griffin described his legs were hurting because he was playing in the park. He confirmed that he did not get bumped at the playground by his rambunctious siblings-Everest, Hudson, nor Kailey. He did not fall off the jungle gym, and he had not been play fighting Tai kwon do with his cousins (my rambunctious kids). Later on, my sister, Gretchen, told me the chemotherapy medication Griffin received made him tired and caused pain to his legs. Griffin left the park not too long after the images were taken and just prior to the debut of the evening sky making it's appearance.



I did not understand Griffin's pain because growing up as a kid I did not have the same experiences that Griffin has to endure. I have stopped asking myself the why about Griffin's Leukemia and find myself asking what can be done.
"What can I do to help my nephew not experience the physical pains after performing activities that children inevitably do growing up?"



On Saturday, September 25, 2010, Griffin and his family plan to attend The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS's) Light the Night Walk.





Joining TEAM GRIFFIN will be family and friends helping to raise funds for lifesaving cancer research. I join the fight to find a cure for Leukemia. A disease, in my opinion, that steals away the fundamental right of growing up as a child. I invite you to join Griffin.



Special mention who have and are still helping Griffin Maks and his family, including the Elizabeth Meyer School --Griffin's preschool. On behalf of Gretchen and Jon Maks: A huge Thank You for your efforts. We look forward to a good turnout in support of leukemia research!