Craft beers and golf are finding a prominent place this month at the Forever Kids Foundation, a new 501(c)(3) that raises money and awareness towards eliminating life-threatening diseases among children. On September 13, the foundation hosts Sophisticated Palette at Beer Bistro North in Chicago at 7pm, an evening of food, craft beers and live music (courtesy of Evans Acoustic) with proceeds benefiting the Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation, a 22-year-old Chicago-based organization supporting pediatric cancer research and quality of living around the country. Tickets range between $75-$85.
Nearly a week later on September 19, Forever Kids hosts its second annual Fore! Kids Golf Outing at the Bridges of Popular Creek Country Club in Hoffman Estates, a special event also supporting Bear Necessities. The event includes contests throughout the day and opportunities to win prizes and giveaways during a silent auction and raffle. Participants will enjoy lunch, unlimited use of the driving range, 18 holes of golf (cart and greens fees included) contests, prizes and a closing awards dinner with silent auction.
Forever Kids is currently seeking additional sponsors for the Friday golf outing. The organization is also still in need of silent auction items and prizes for the planned raffle as part of the festivities, as well as additional contributions. Levinson and Stefani is proud to be one of the newest sponsors of The Forever Kids Foundation, and we hope you’ll join us in supporting such a worthy cause. As part of your contribution, Forever Kids will acknowledge you and/or your company on its website, marketing materials, and on event signage; all donations are tax deductible.
Since its founding in 2013, The Forever Kids Foundation has taken a proactive approach to eliminating child disease through events like the Fore! Kids Golf Outing and other community-based events. The not-for-profit has partnered with Bear Necessities and other like-minded groups over the past year, increasing awareness and providing financial help to those who need it most. If you’re not familiar with Bear Necessities, the national foundation has launched an aggressive campaign to wipe out pediatric cancer among children. Established in 1992, Bear Necessities was founded by CEO and President Kathleen Casey, whose son, Barrett “Bear” Krupa, battled pediatric cancer for more than five years.
Bear’s story is one of courage and selflessness. During his stay in the hospital, he frequently expressed more concern for the well being of other pediatric cancer patients despite his own battle with the disease. Bear and Kathleen learned first-hand the difficulty of the many hidden needs of patients and their families, even the needs of hospital facilities. They established Bear Necessities as a way to customize a healthy and joyful experience in the face of life-threatening disease.
Today, the organization has developed two separate causes over its two-decade history: providing immediate family and financial support to those in need; supporting and providing medical research grants in the name of junior investigative researchers, whose goal is primarily making advancements in the field of pediatric cancers.
By Presidential Proclamation, September 2014 is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. It’s estimated that nearly 16,000 children under the age of 20 will be diagnosed with cancer this year alone—the leading cause of disease-related deaths for children. Thanks to organizations like Forever Kids and Bear Necessities, that number continues to dwindle. We aim to do more this month during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and we hope you will, too.
According to a press release from the White House, “Our Nation comes together to remember all those whose lives were cut short by pediatric cancer, to recognize the loved ones who know too well the pain it causes, and to support every child and every family battling cancer each day.”