Finding a cure now...so our daughters won't have to.

High temps brought a home run to Washington

Posted By on July 13th, 2010 at 9:40 am | 0 comments.

2010 PA Home Run Derby at the Washington Wild ThingsWith temperatures in the high-90s, the third stop of the Home Run Derby at the Washington Wild Things was shaping up to be the hottest ever!  The heat was on and one batter was able to knock one out of the park!!  But first, check out the team scores!

Team Scores:

Single Batter Score:

2010 PA Home Run Derby at the Washington Wild ThingsWith sunscreen in tow, our batters were hitting the baseballs almost out of the park.  One batter was lucky enough to get a ball out of the park!  Mitch Monas from Team First Federal Savings & Loan of Greene County knocked out our first home run of 2010!  He is pictured here with our emcee Tammy Miller and the rest of his team.

Team WPXI was back out at CONSOL Energy Stadium to attempt a few home runs.  Last year’s team score was 1,090.  This year, there were side bets on the table.  Scott Harbaugh, Alby Oxenreiter, Bill Phillips, and Rich Walsh had a total 2010 team score of 1,065 points.  They didn’t beat last year’s score, but I believe there was an expensive dinner up for grabs.  Thanks for supporting the derby again this year fellas!

After loading up the pink van, the PBCC team drove 4.5 hours back to southcentral PA to rest up for the next stop: Williamsport’s Historic Bowman Field.  Stay tuned to find out those results soon!  In the meantime, be sure to check out pictures from the Washington stop of our tour!

Posted in: Home Run Derby

Balmy day in Erie, PA

Posted By on July 7th, 2010 at 3:42 pm | 0 comments.

2010 PA Home Run Derby at the Erie SeawolvesOn our trip up to Erie, the temperature registered a whopping 102 degrees on Tuesday, July 6th.  That definitely set us up for a warm day on Wednesday, July 7th as the derby crew rolled into Jerry Uht Park.  The high temperatures did not stop batters and volunteers from supporting the 2nd stop of the 2010 Home Run Derby.  Check out the scores of our Erie teams!

Team Scores:

  • Marquette Savings Bank Team 2 – 1,910 points
  • TESCO Tools Team 4 – 1,785 points
  • TESCO Tools Team 3 – 1,655 points
  • Malin Bergquist – 1,205 points
  • TESCO Tools Team 1 – 1,090 points
  • GoErie.com – 980 points
  • Erie Times News – 855 points
  • Marquette Savings Team 1 – 820 points
  • TESCO Tools Team 2 – 805 points
  • UPMC – 785 points

Our winning team (Marquette Savings Bank Team 2) consisted of Terry Carson, Scott Hess, Joe Lauria, and Dan Lewis.  Joe locked in a whopping 600 points with 12 baseballs hitting the back wall.

Other big scorers include John Fette and Lee Rowan from TESCO Tools Team 4 with 550 points and 500 points, respectively.  Even though we had large scores, no one was able to knock one out of the park!

2010 PA Home Run Derby at the Erie SeawolvesCheck out pictures from the Erie event on Flickr! 

The pink van loaded up and headed south to Washington, PA for stop number three of the 2010 Home Run Derby tour.

Posted in: Home Run Derby

Harrisburg Kicks Off with a Bang!

Posted By on July 3rd, 2010 at 4:36 pm | 2 comments.

2010 PA Home Run Derby at the Harrisburg SenatorsHarrisburg knows how to strut its stuff!  The Home Run Derby rolled into Metro Bank Park on Thursday, July 1st with batters and volunteers out to show their support!  The beautiful day with comfortable temperatures and low humidity made for perfect conditions for the day!  Teams arrived starting at 7:45 AM with great anticipation for their turn at bat.  Check out the stats for the day!!

Team Scores:
Team Rep. Ron Marsico – 1,445 points
PIA for Charity – 1,260 points
Young Guns (ParenteBeard Team 2) – 1,170 points
AstraZeneca Team 1 – 1,135 points
Highmark – 1,115 points
Team Rep. Eugene DePasquale – 1,085 points
Team Mayor Linda Thompson – 1,010 points
Mile 6, LLC – 965 points
Capital Watch – 920 points
Penn State Hershey Medical Center – 920 points
The Gray Hairs (ParenteBeard Team 1) – 880 points
Stay Classy, Harrisburg (Clear Channel) – 835 points
Highmark Team 2 – 830 points
AstraZeneca Team 2 – 830 points
Team Griswold – 760 points
Team abc27 – 725 points
PA AFL-CIO Team 1 – 695 points
Chesapeake Energy – 665 points
Team Rep. Scott Boyd – 655 points
WPGR – 625 points
PA AFL-CIO Team 2 – 575 points

Single Batter Scores:
Senator Rich Alloway – 335 points
Brad Baker – 225 points

WGAL News 8 reporter Katelyn Smith and her crew helped start the day off with an on-site live interview to help promote the upcoming series of derby events.  Check out the video!  Throughout the day, ABC27, FOX 43, and WGAL recorded the action to share with the mid-state.

2010 PA Hone Run Derby at the Harrisburg SenatorsBob Hauer from WHP580 and the Harrisburg Senators was out to top his performance from last year.  As a team, the Clear Channel crew did manage to increase their score by a full 100 points.  Time will tell with his journey to several other stadiums across the state this month if he has improved.  Special thanks to these state legislators for their support at the first Home Run Derby of 2010:

  • Sen. Rich Alloway
  • Rep. Scott Boyd
  • Rep. Eugene DePasquale
  • Rep. Jaret Gibbons
  • Rep. Ron Marsico
  • Rep. Tony Payton, Jr.
  • Rep. Jim Wansacz

While there were a few high scores (Allen Donato from Team Rep. Marsico: 425 points, Pete Gleason from AstraZeneca Team 1: 410 points, & Ken Stupka from PIA for Charity: 400 points), zero home runs were claimed all day.  Our next stop is at the Erie Seawolves on Wednesday, July 7th.  Let’s see if we can get a few out of the park!  Thanks to everyone who supported the first derby of the 2010 season!

Posted in: Home Run Derby

The Derby isn’t only about teams…are you a single batter?

Posted By on June 25th, 2010 at 2:00 pm | 0 comments.

Previously I have written about our need for Home Run Derby sponsors and volunteers.  And we still do need both!  If you’re interested, click here to learn more or sign up. 

The Home Run Derby events are major fundraisers for the PBCC.  Funds are raised through sponsorships, team fees, single batter fees, and donations.  Today, I am focusing on single batters.

For the low, low price of just $125 you can have an experience of a lifetime!  Imagine the scene.  You put on a batting helmet, grasp a baseball bat and step out onto home plate on your local minor league baseball field.  You sling the bat over your shoulder and take a few warm up swings.  The pitching machine whirs to life as you eye the outfield fence and wonder….could I?  Could I really hit a home run?  Well why not give it a try? 

For the price of $125, you receive:

  • 15 swings at the minor league baseball stadium of your choice
    • commemorative batter’s jersey
    • program
    • souvenir photo
    • goody bag
    • a great time!

Batters are scored on a scale ranging from 10 points for a fair ball hit in the infield to 100 points for a home run. The individual batter at each stadium with the highest point score is awarded a prize.  You will be given a batting time slot when your registration and payment is submitted to the PBCC.  All money raised through the Home Run Derby stays in Pennsylvania and allows the PBCC to continue supporting and serving breast cancer survivors and their families in this state.

Please consider becoming a Home Run Derby batter today!  We can’t help the thousands of women in PA who are dealing with breast cancer without your help!

Posted in: Home Run Derby, News

Because Brecknock Cares

Posted By on June 4th, 2010 at 9:30 am | 0 comments.

The students at Brecknock Elementary School in Eastern Lancaster County School District collected and donated over 560 items for the PBCC, including gardening tools, books, handmade cards, silk scarves, and even feather boas!

In honor of Lisa Horning, a third-grade teacher at Brecknock for 18 years who died after a long battle with breast cancer on September 20th, students at the school participated in their first “Day of Service,” which benefitted three causes, including the PBCC.

The idea to support the PBCC during the “Day of Service” actually came from Madison, the daughter of one of Brecknock’s teachers.  She saw our pink van (check out the video of its creation) driving around town and asked her mom about it.  The rest is history.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdGuszIQ1BM&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f]

We especially LOVED the homemade ornamental angel keychains and “Get Well” cards.  Each item carried the message, “Because Brecknock Cares,” which Lisa Horning came up with several years ago.

What a wonderful way to honor a loved one AND support a noble cause.  Thanks, Brecknock Elementary School!

Posted in: Grassroots Partners, News

Pink Friends Like Me Packages Continue to Make a Difference

Posted By on June 3rd, 2010 at 10:45 am | 0 comments.

Here at the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, we believe in reaching those diagnosed in the state individually.  The Friends Like Me Care Packages do just that every day.  These pink boxes, which contain valuable information, books, and donated gifts, make it to Philadelphia, Erie, Pittsburgh, Scranton, and everywhere in between.  To date, over 3,400 Friends Like Me Care Packages have made it into the hands of newly diagnosed men and women in PA. 

Included in each package is a quick survey that we ask recipients to complete.  The last question is “What did receiving this Friends Like Me Care Package mean to you?”  Below a quick note that was sent back recently.

My “Friends Like Me” package arrived a few days after meeting with my surgeon and scheduling my surgery.

I cried when I opened the box.  It was a tangible representation of my cancer and a powerful gift.  Filled with information, it empowered me to ask and learn more.  I wanted to be actively involved in my treatment plan.  Along with my surgeon and her staff at Penn State Hershey Breast Center, my family and friends; you too became part of my support team.  Kim Eubanks’ note personalized my package.  I remembered her from church and thought it remarkable that she remembered me.  I’m sure many packages are sent weekly – to remember me and take the time to send a note meant the world to me.  Thanks Kim!

I read Navigating Breast Cancer by Lillie Shockney shortly after receiving it with my cancer information at Hershey.  It dealt with many of the issues I was dealing with like how to tell others and what lies ahead.  Reading the book gave me a sense of normalcy.  Others had gone through the same emotional rollercoaster I was living.  I read her Breast Cancer Survivor’s Club from my Friends Like Me package as a sequel.  The Breast Cancer: Covered or Not by Dr. Linda Rhodes and Pat Halpin-Murphy provided easy to read information on health insurance.  I have insurance through my employer but had only ever used it for wellness and routine family doctor visits.  I read the book right away and called the insurance company just to “double-check” what I thought I knew.  I needed to focus on getting better, not fighting with insurance.

I laughed when I saw the knit hat.  Made from bright, fuzzy yarn, it wasn’t my “style” and chemo wasn’t in my treatment plan, but I will wear it proudly.  It reminds me to laugh each day.  It also serves to remind me that my cancer was found early and with radiation, my outlook is good.  Not everyone is as fortunate.

I read all the books and pamphlets in my package.  My husband wears the pink ribbon sticker.  I wear the “survivor” bracelet and pink ribbon pin.  The angel made by the Girl Scout Troop hangs from the rearview mirror of my car.  All reminders of where I’ve been and how far I’ve come.

In February I had a lumpectomy at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.  I learned that my lymph nodes were clear.  I will have radiation.  I have been blessed.

Thank you,

Cindy

These personal stories are behind the PBCC’s driving force to find a cure now!  Do you know someone who was recently diagnosed?  Visit the PBCC’s Friends Like Me page to request a Care Package be sent FREE of charge!

Posted in: News, Patient Advocacy

Can Your Business Help Take A Swing Against Breast Cancer?

Posted By on June 1st, 2010 at 10:14 am | 2 comments.

Last week I wrote about our need for Home Run Derby volunteers.  And we still do need volunteers!  If you’re interested, click here to learn more or sign up.

The Home Run Derbies are major fundraisers for the PBCC.  Funds are raised through sponsorships, team fees, single batter fees, and donations.  Today, my focus is on sponsors.

Home Run Derby sponsorships range from $1,000 to $10,000, with wonderful benefits given at each level. 

For example, at the $1000 level, your company or group receives:

  • Two teams of four batters at local event of your choosing
  • The opportunity to display your company banner at local event
  • A mention in event advertising specific to local event
  • A listing on the official Home Run Derby website
  • A listing in all event programs
  • The opportunity to provide a promotional item in participant tote bags at local event

Just imagine what a $5,000 or $10,000 sponsor receives!  The promotional and marketing opportunities are well worth the cost!  Plus, your company will be seen in a positive light by linking with the PBCC, a statewide non-profit breast cancer organization.  To see all the sponsorship levels and benefits, click here. 

Please consider becoming a Home Run Derby sponsor today!  We can’t fulfill our mission, to find a cure for breast cancer now…so our daughters won’t have to, without your help!

Posted in: Home Run Derby, News

Volunteer at the Home Run Derby

Posted By on May 25th, 2010 at 2:22 pm | 6 comments.

Are you a baseball fan? Have you always wanted to spend some time in the outfield of your local minor league baseball stadium? Do you have a few free hours during the morning or early afternoon? Then the PBCC needs you this summer!

The PBCC is again partnering with the PA Association of Community Bankers for the 3rd Annual Home Run Derby happening in each of PA’s minor league stadiums this July. We need about 25 volunteers per stadium to be successful. So if you live near one of the stadiums listed below and would like to donate some time, please sign up using the link below!

We are mostly in need of outfield shaggers. The perfect outfield shagger enjoys being out in the sun and doesn’t mind being on his or her feet for a few hours. Shaggers do not need to be able to catch or throw a ball! They simply collect balls hit into the outfield and infield once they have landed and rolled to a stop, then carry them to a collection point near second base. This might be a fun family activity to do with your kids! Please sign up today!

PA’s Minor League Baseball Teams:
Altoona Curve
Erie SeaWolves
Harrisburg Senators
Lancaster Barnstormers
Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (All volunteer slots filled)
Reading Phillies
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
State College Spikes
Washington Wild Things
Williamsport Crosscutters
York Revolution

Posted in: Home Run Derby, Volunteer

PBCC Annual Conference Travel Grants

Posted By on May 12th, 2010 at 11:21 am | 0 comments.

Each October, the PBCC puts on a breast cancer conference in Harrisburg.  Approximately 700 people attend – survivors, co-survivors, medical professionals, legislators, business leaders and breast cancer advocates of all types.  If you’ve never attended, you’re really missing something special, in my opinion.  The staff of the PBCC works almost year-round on this event, planning the workshops, lining up the speakers, designing the print materials, signing up the exhibitors, deciding on the food, registering the attendees…the tasks go on and on.

One of my favorite conference jobs is working on the Cary Massa Memorial Scholarships and Travel Grants.  The PBCC offers a limited number of travel grants, as well as full and partial scholarships for the conference.  Full scholarships cover the entire registration fee.  Partial scholarships cover all but $25 of the registration fee.  And the highly-desired travel grants cover the full conference registration cost, one standard guest room at the Harrisburg Hilton the night before the conference, and  reimbursement for documented travel expenses (not to exceed $100 total).  Click here to see more details and to download a scholarship or travel grant application.  

We encourage anyone who needs assistance in paying for attendance to the conference to apply, although priority is given to breast cancer survivors.

If you’d like to contribute to this fund which helps women attend this educational and uplifting event, click here.  And thank you!

Posted in: Annual Conference

Chip in for a Cure!

Posted By on April 29th, 2010 at 3:57 pm | 2 comments.

No, you’re not seeing things….those bags of Martin’s Kettle Cook’d-Chips really are pink!  And the sale of those bags of chips in stores all across Pennsylvania benefits the PBCC!  Martin’s Potato Chips partnered with us back in October to sell specially-designed bags of their most popular chips and they were a huge hit!  Amazingly, Martin’s was able to donate over $23,000 to the PBCC last fall and hopes to do the same this May.

So, visit your local grocery store before May 8th, find the 9 oz. bag of Martin’s Kettle-Cook’d chips with the pink ribbon on it, and put one or more in your shopping cart.  The PBCC will receive 25 cents from each purchase.

Please visit the Martin’s website for more info. 

Posted in: Partnerships & Promotions