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▪ Save the Dates▪ Recent Events▪ Medical Provider Corner▪ BAG IT Biz Sherri Says.... 2013 was a fantastic 10th Anniversary celebration! It was k
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Sherri Says....
2013 was a fantastic 10th Anniversary celebration!
It was kicked off by our Be There for BAG IT Chili-Challenge in Phoenix and continued with the Wine and Dine and Take a Hike for BAG IT events in Tucson. All were tremendous successes and that was due in great part to our wonderful volunteers and donors! We simply could not do these events without the tremendous gifts of your time, energy, and dollars. We are ending our 10th Anniversary year by celebrating with our dedicated volunteers at an appreciation party to be held Sunday afternoon, December 8, at Zona 78 on River Road in Tucson. If you haven’t received your evite or it went to spam, please go to EVITE to rsvp. (We hope you appreciate
us going green on the invites!) Come join us to say goodbye to 2013 with fond memories. We have achieved much with your help - 50,000 cancer patients and their families have received BAG IT resources since 2003.It is indeed cause
for celebration!
Happy New Year, |
As I began my breast cancer journey in the fall of 2012, I felt quite helpless and hopeless thinking, “Am I alone in this situation?” After visiting with my Woman's Imaging Center to confirm the cancer diagnosis, I received a BAG IT. This bag was full of wonderful information concerning cancer treatments; information that immediately helped me minimize my feelings of being alone and the unknowns.
As I continued my journey with the surgeon and oncologist, BAG IT was always there to help answer additional questions. BAG IT was always with me during the chemo and radiation treatments explaining the various treatment options, questions for the physicians, as well as involving my family in my recovery.
I cannot imagine how years ago women survived this ordeal without the wonderful information and support that the BAG IT provides to all cancer patients. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the hard work and wonderful support to the angels who put BAG IT together!
– Virginia Jensen |
Epic Rides
24 Hours in the Old Pueblo to
benefit BAG IT for second year.
February 14-16, 2014
(President's weekend) |
1,850 cyclists have already signed up for this race and registration has closed, filling in record time!
But wait! If you are a cyclist who didn’t get into the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, it just might be your lucky day because here is a limited opportunity (it ends this Friday 12/6/13) to register your team and raise funds for BAG IT at the same time! Click here for the details: |
Spectators are welcome to watch the race and enjoy the four day festival over President’s weekend featuring a bike expo, dinner, and great entertainment.
Volunteers are needed too! Join the Crew at Epic Rides to produce one of the world's largest (and most fun) 24 Hour mountain bike events!
Utilize the link to select your Volunteer Spot(s) during event weekend or the week prior – there are lots of options any hour of the day or night!
Click here.
Volunteer questions? Contact Karen Warsh at Epic Rides: (520) 623-1584 or kwarsh@epicrides.com |
Sunday, April 6, 2014
4 – 7 PM
Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix
We know Arizonans are serious about their chili AND
their support of those faced with a cancer diagnosis
so we CHALLENGE you to join us! Whether you are:
☼a professional chef who wants to compete against other pros in your own category (hey, y’all, pass the word on to your chef friends!)
☼an amateur chilihead that wants to bring their own team of 6-8 fellow chiliheads or join others to form a team for the amateur competition.
☼a medical provider or other business wanting to get in on the fun through an event sponsorship; the opportunities abound!
☼somebody who just wants to know when to show up to taste some great chili the day of the event!
Click HERE to receive more information soon. With family and friends around over the holidays for sampling (er, guinea pigs?), why not open your test kitchen and get goin’ on that winning recipe!
Tell your friends! |
Celebrating BAG IT’s 10th Anniversary Island Style!
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Ask anyone (even the friendly rattler taking it all in from a safe distance off the path) --- it was a terrific Sunday morning for a hike. Picture perfect weather, enthusiastic guides from Summit Hut describing the hike and surroundings, and all the great folks enjoying the Ventana Trail.
Mary Carhuff's Meditation Walk was as popular and inspiring as always. |
Inside was a sea of Caribbean blue shirts; some sipping yummy umbrella drinks called the BAG IT Breeze while others moved to the rhythm of the island, compliments of the talented Catalina Foothills High School Steel Drum Band. Singing, "Don't worry, be happy," smiling guests kept looking for Bobby McFerrin and a limbo line to join!"
Tables filled with a wide assortment of raffle and silent auction prizes were hoppin’ as bidders deposited raffle tickets and raised their bids in hope of being the lucky winner! |
Not to be outdone by Mother Nature, the fabulous culinary team at Loews put on a tropical brunch spread highlighting all the favorite flavors of the islands. Executive Chef Ken Harvey came out on stage and wowed the crowd as he demonstrated the indescribably delicious dessert created just for BAG IT by Pastry Chef Krista Owens. Each guest was served the special dessert and a bit of bubbly for an anniversary toast – all compliments of our friends at Loews!
Our emcee and auctioneer, KOLD anchor Dan Marries, ditched his suit and chilled in a chaise lounge under a tiki hut when he was not running the show. Dan proved to be the perfect spokesman for our festive occasion. His sentiments were warm, honest, and personal, making a sincere connection with the participants. |
Rocky LaRose outdid herself with her poignant video retrospective capturing BAG IT's ten-year evolution from the early days when bags were assembled in Sherri’s kitchen to our present statewide distribution of 50,000 bags and growing, all of which would not be possible without the support of the Tucson community.
Sherri Romanoski presented Dr. Joseph Buscema, President of Arizona Oncology, with a special plaque of recognition for their sustained commitment to our mission since inception.
Thanks to Arizona Oncology for their tenth year as Presenting Sponsor, and the other sponsors that also sponsor year after year. About $95,000 was raised by this year’s Take A Hike for BAG IT. All proceeds from this event will be used to continue to provide BAG IT at no charge to newly diagnosed cancer patients.
It was quite an anniversary celebration and we can't wait until we reach the next BAG IT milestone. Thanks to all of our donors, volunteers and those who attended the event and made it such a success. Happy trails to you... |
Marcos Gomez and his trusty colleagues from Jacobs Engineering Employee Group again worked tirelessly to host the 2nd Jacobs Tucson Open to benefit BAG IT at El Rio Golf Course recently. About sixty Jacobs employees, vendors and friends turned out on a beautiful fall day to burn some worms – all in good fun and to support BAG IT’s mission. When the scorecards (and the mulligans, mind you!) were tabulated, proceeds for the day’s festivities exceeded $3,300.
Thanks to all of you, that’s about 110 more newly diagnosed cancer patients who will receive a BAG IT bag at no charge from their medical provider – nice day’s work! |
Since 2006, the queen of “mahj,” Joy Hughes, and her friends in Green Valley have raised nearly $10,000 for BAG IT with an annual Mah Jongg Tournament. Who knew that jokers and dragons mixed with conversation , laughter, and shouts of “bam, crak, dot” at the table could be such music to our ears!
Our sincere thanks to all of you in Green Valley who click the tiles for BAG IT and help so many! |
Do you know of a group or organization hosting a fun event that might want to help raise money to support BAG IT’s work in the community? It’s easy! Contact us with your ideas: 520-575-9602 |
MEDICAL PROVIDER CORNER: a dedicated section for the special folks who distribute the BAG IT resource to those newly diagnosed and their families. Keep up the great work! ☺ |
Now you can offer your patients a choice of format for BAG IT:
Option #1 – Traditional BAG IT with the binder and printed NCI and NCCS booklets
OR
Option #2 – A largely ELECTRONIC version of BAG IT. The binder is the same, but all the NCI and NCCS booklets (except Chemo & You) have been loaded in PDF format onto a CD which is tucked into the bag. This bag is MUCH lighter to carry and store in your office. Patients pop the CD into their computer (PC, not Mac) to read and/or print any or all pages.
(Later in 2014 the CD will be replaced by a USB flashdrive for PC or Mac use. All publications will be loaded onto it, and a Spanish version will also be available.) |
Why are we offering two BAG IT options? Federal cuts affecting NCI impacted our ability to get publications at a reasonable cost. At our considerable expense, BAG IT now prints all seven publications. In an effort to help defray some of this increased expense to enable us to continue offering the bag at no charge to patients, BAG IT just completed a pilot study which determined that some patients do prefer the electronic version. |
Therefore, we ask that you please incorporate the electronic version of BAG IT when next you order for your office. If you are on auto order, please email orders@bagit4u.org and tweak it to include a box of electronic version. If you order on an as needed basis, please order a box of electronic BAG IT bags on your next order to have a choice for your patients.
Email: orders@bagit4u.org with your questions and order. Please provide your name and office contact information.
NOTE: While traditional BAG IT still ships with six bags in a box, the electronic version ships with TEN bags in a box. An electronic version of Spanish is not available yet. |
--Check out our blog! www.bagit4u.org
--Like us on facebook
--Need a BAG IT bag or binder? Click Here.
--Want to donate to BAG IT? Click here.
--Help wanted! Spread the word!
BAG IT has a paid, part-time position immediately available for an Event and Volunteer Coordinator in Tucson. Primarily a home-based position with flexible hours, experience in event coordination OR extensive experience in working with volunteers is a must.
Email: info@bagit4u.org for more information or if you want to submit your resume. |
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