Giving Back, for the Kids [and $10 gift cards for you!]

I've written the title of this post, and erased it, a dozen times. What it really should say is "No words."  There are no words that can cover the pain, strength, and stress that a family dealing with childhood cancer is going through. It's my greatest fear in life. Truly. And there are children of friends, in our community, who live this reality. And so, we're giving back. We'd love for you to join us, so we're giving a $10 CJC gift card to each of you that gives to St. Jude. Read on... Every year, the Carver Lions hold a fun event in January called the Soggy Bottom Open. I like to think of it as small town beer golf, for a Cause. "Golf" is a loose term - bring your baseball bat, broom, shovel - whatever you want to hit a tennis ball through the soggy January snow. Stop by the multiple bars in Carver before or after, and ultimately, support a great cause. This year, Carver Junk Company chose to sponsor Team Abigator in the SBO. We sponsored a hole (via donation) which supports St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. We'd love for you to join us in donating, and we're so passionate about this cause, we're adding a bit of incentive: 1. Donate  $50 here. Select "tickets" and then "Donation to Team Abigator/St Jude." [You do not need to purchase tickets to donate] 2. Bring your receipt to either CJC store in February (on your phone is fine). 3. We'll give you a $10 gift card. Team Abigator has a goal of reaching $3000 in donations, and they are halfway there at $1500. Thank you for supporting such an amazing cause with us.   Abby's Story Abby Lindall just turned 13. She lives in Carver, not far from our store. Her Dad is a part of the Carver Fire Department, and despite the craziness of their lives, both of her parents are incredibly involved in our community. Abby stopped growing when she was 8. At age 10, her parents exhausted every option to determine why Abby wasn't growing, and just days after an MRI in December 2013, Abby was having surgery to biopsy a brain tumor.               A recent Facebook post from Abby's dad, Nate: "We have not ever received a bill for any of the treatment that Abby has received from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Our journey started because Abby was not growing. She would make several trips to the growth chart, only to have that look of disappointment, because she hadn't grown in two years. After discovering the reasoning for her growth deficiency, Abby has now grown 14 inches in height." Abby's tumor is inoperable. The side effects from her tumor, radiation and medications have caused lasting issues with body temperature control, migraines, adrenal insufficiency, kidney issues, and have drastically reduced her short term memory. Abby takes 12 prescriptions per day, and will for the rest of her life. She goes to the hospital every six months to have the size of her tumor checked. Through all of it, her parents have said, all Abby wants is to be a normal teenager. She plays soccer, goes to school, and stays so strong through everything. In bringing awareness to St. Jude's and childhood cancer, Abby has gotten to meet some pretty cool people. But her Dad says "Abby doesn't want to be in pictures and meeting famous people, she just would like to have a normal life." Abby has chosen to give back to St. Jude as a part of the Life Study program. She will return back for continued monitoring of her tumor, once per year, for the rest of her life. Through ALL of Abby's time at St. Jude, including a 4-month stay at the beginning of her diagnosis, her family has NEVER received a single bill. St. Jude employs 250 doctors, from 32 different countries, to become St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Fellow Doctors, on a one year rotation basis. They are sharing all of their methods and treatments with the doctors and staff at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The treatment plans are made available, via the worldwide web, for any doctor to use for the patients (at no cost to the hospital or physician). Tomorrow is the Carver Lions Soggy Bottom Open. Donations support St. Jude directly, and we can't imagine a better charity to support in a month where our store's focus was KIDS.  Thank you for joining us in this effort. For supporting children across our communities. For helping us to ensure that if any of our own children ever need the services of a place like St. Jude, that they will be available.  Donate here, and please share.