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First Annual Reunion Celebration for Kellogg Cancer Care Centers

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

On Sunday, October 4th, Nick and I were a part of the First Annual Reunion Celebration for Kellogg Cancer Care Centers at Wagner Farm in Glenview, Illinois. The afternoon was a ton of fun with awesome people , yummy snacks, and absolutely perfect weather! For a first time event, turnout was HUGE with nearly 600 Kellogg cancer survivors, staff and their families in attendance. We wandered around the beautiful grounds of Wagner Farm, took a ride in the back of a horse drawn carriage and dodged children as they ran around to get their faces painted, decorate pumpkins, or watch the cows get milked.

Nick and I ‘worked’ in the farmhouse, manning the giant piles of donated snacks and refreshments. That area of the event was being run by Beth, a very cool , young woman who is a survivor herself. Somehow, Beth put us in charge of handing out pumpkin shaped sugar cookies. The two sisters that donated all 400 cookies to the event, were also the ones who beautifully hand decorated, individually wrapped and delivered the cookies to us after baking them in their kitchen.

A traveling art exhibit honoring the journey of those whose lives have been affected by cancer, Oncology on Canvas, was on display in the farmhouse alongside patient educational materials provided by OSI and other oncology companies.

The whole scene was free to attendees, including the generous amounts of donated snacks and refreshments. All of the labor for the attractions, setup and clean up was run exclusively by volunteers and super enthusiastic local high school students. High Schools Against Cancer (HSAC), a club recently founded by Glenbrook South sophomore Hallie Herrmann to help raise awareness and money for the American Cancer Society. Unlike Mean Girls or any of the the horrifying high school reality shows I can’t avoid being exposed to on TV, these kids were really genuine, impressive, and inspiring. The whole event was free to attendees and something awesome to be a part of. A special Thanks to Gail Ronkoske who coordinated the event and, in addition to always being great, forced us to take a ride on the horse drawn wagon. Also thanks to the folks on the Oncology Patient Advisory Board and our new friend Beth for letting us be a part of the celebration.

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tagged under: Kellogg Cancer Care Centers