What speaks to you?

[zbeekner4]

I want to know what impacts you and makes you want to get involved?

I know here at THP, St. Jude is a big part of this community and is an incredible charity that we all get to be a part of as members.

For me, it’s blood cancers. My grandfather died of lymphoma in 1998. My dad was diagnosed with leukemia in 2009 but is now in remission after a randomly matched marrow donor agreed to undergo a transplant to save my dads life. Last year, my cousins son who is 5 years old was diagnosed with leukemia. He’s still battling this stupid disease now.

We walk and raise money every year in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night walk, our family puts together a “Team in Training” for the Peachtree Road Race, and we created a blood drive in memory of my grandfather twice a year.

On a golf note, I’m considering putting together a charity golf tournament for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. But anyways, I want to know what speaks to you? What are you involved in? I know it can be a heavy topic and maybe even hard to talk about sometimes but I like hearing about the stuff that matters to y’all.


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[Snickerdog]

I do two Relay for Life tourneys every year. As a survivor it means a lot to me, both parents are survivors also. I love giving to get the Albatross membership every year knowing it is helping St. Jude's.

 

[zbeekner4]

I do two Relay for Life tourneys every year. As a survivor it means a lot to me, both parents are survivors also. I love giving to get the Albatross membership every year knowing it is helping St. Jude's.

That’s really cool David. Relay for life really does some great work.


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[Sox_Fan]

ALS. I lost my mother to this horrible disease about 6 years ago. This disease took her from being a perfectly healthy and very active 69 year old woman to passing on to a better place shortly after her 71st birthday. It was very heartbreaking watching her various facilities take a drastic and sudden turn for the worse while her mind was still in perfect condition so she was fully aware of what was going on.

Those that have been on the forum for some time know that I was very active in the various ALS challenges to try to raise money for research. I donate myself typically 4 - 6 times per year.

I honestly didn't know just how scary the disease was until it hit way too close to home. I obviously learned a lot about it in a very short period of time and certainly know it is something that I hope nobody else has to deal with themselves or for any of their loved ones.

 

[zbeekner4]

Sorry to hear that. I know ALS can be very debilitating and hard to watch someone go through it.


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[mikeg_74]

For me it's building strong and resilient young women. I've seen it too many times where young girls/women get intimidated or are marginalized in some way and it deters them from chasing a dream or reaching their full potential. Admittedly I am more sensitive to it as a father of two girls and wanting them to be as prepared as they can for the "real world". Right or wrong, they will face adversity of some kind at a higher rate just because they are females.

This is why I chose to volunteer my time to coach both of their soccer teams. It may be a small drop in the bucket, but I get to positively influence 25-30 young girls. I get to be that positive male voice that tells them it's ok to be yourself, it's ok to go after what you want, it's ok to have an opinion. I take the lessons I am trying to instill from a soccer perspective and try to translate them so they can be applied to everyday life. I am trying to build young women who will pick themselves up when they fall, shake off the dirt and keep going with a positive attitude.

In the end I have no clue if it will make a difference, but at least I'm giving it a shot and hopefully I can reach just one of those girls. I think it's working because after last season I was really at a cross roads in terms of "coaching" and whether I wanted to continue. Then after the season a majority of their parents came up to me thanking me for the positive impact I've had on their daughter on and off the pitch. A few even requested that their younger sisters be placed on my U-8 team for the upcoming season.

 

[McLovin]

we give financially and of our time to our church. my wife is a deacon, i have been on some committees, we lead a small group that has been meeting for 7 years, and we have been involved in many bible studies, new member classes, etc. regardless the salvation aspect, i believe faith can give people fulfillment and purpose and peace in a life that is so often filled with doubt and pain and sadness.

there are causes that touch my heart. pretty much anything affecting children, and i turn into a blubbering mess.

 

[radiman]

Since becoming a father, I really have a soft spot for any cause that helps children. Not that I didn't care about kids before, but being a parent has opened another door to my heart I suppose. Other than that, the Special Olympics are a big deal for me. I have a nephew who is Autistic and has Cerebral Palsy. Seeing how something like that just absolutely lights up his life is pretty special. All of those kids. Giving them the opportunity to do something that other kids get to do without any thought is pretty special. Makes them feel great and I love watching.

 

[EnglishTurn]

My son had Leukemia(AML) twice between the ages of 8 and 10. He is now 13. His life was saved by a then 19 year old kid in Wyoming. He drove 4 times 6 hours to Denver to check stem cell levels, tests, etc. We were beyond fortune to host our hero and his family last week. Eventhough we were threatened by the hurricane we made the most of it. Our family is forever indebted to this young man!

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[radiman]

My son had Leukemia(AML) twice between the ages of 8 and 10. He is now 13. His life was saved by a then 19 year old kid in Wyoming. He drove 4 times 6 hours to Denver to check stem cell levels, tests, etc. We were beyond fortune to host our hero and his family last week. Eventhough we were threatened by the hurricane we made the most of it. Our family is forever indebted to this young man!

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That's a great story!

 

[tahoebum]

For me it's building strong and resilient young women. I’ve seen it too many times where young girls/women get intimidated or are marginalized in some way and it deters them from chasing a dream or reaching their full potential. Admittedly I am more sensitive to it as a father of two girls and wanting them to be as prepared as they can for the "real world". Right or wrong, they will face adversity of some kind at a higher rate just because they are females.

This is why I chose to volunteer my time to coach both of their soccer teams. It may be a small drop in the bucket, but I get to positively influence 25-30 young girls. I get to be that positive male voice that tells them it's ok to be yourself, it's ok to go after what you want, it's ok to have an opinion. I take the lessons I am trying to instill from a soccer perspective and try to translate them so they can be applied to everyday life. I am trying to build young women who will pick themselves up when they fall, shake off the dirt and keep going with a positive attitude.

In the end I have no clue if it will make a difference, but at least I'm giving it a shot and hopefully I can reach just one of those girls. I think it's working because after last season I was really at a cross roads in terms of "coaching" and whether I wanted to continue. Then after the season a majority of their parents came up to me thanking me for the positive impact I've had on their daughter on and off the pitch. A few even requested that their younger sisters be placed on my U-8 team for the upcoming season.

Our oldest is male but we also have two daughters and I echo your sentiments. I coached both of my girls soccer teams when they were younger and my wife and I are focused on raising independent, successful daughters who won’t be held back by their gender from reaching their full potential. My wife has spent her career in HR witnessing first hand the gender bias that still exists in corporate America and at her level, it’s still over 90% male. I see things being a bit easier for our daughters.

 

[Parrot]

If we had the room, my wife and I would be the crazy dog people. My wife and I have always had rescues. We have 3 now. We'd adopt or foster as many as we had room for. We've also helped with pet rescue in the USVI after Irmaria. I'm a sucker for helping animals and wish I could do more.

We also help supply Lovepacks through our local schools to make sure kids have food who might not otherwise have good access to food when not at school.

I had a heart attack at 37 and have been a supporter of the American Heart Association since then. I was diagnosed with kidney cancer last summer. I had a partial nephrectomy in late August. The path report indicated that the surgeon was able to obtain fully clear margins. At six months, I showed no recurrence and go in for the 1 year in a couple of weeks. Through my church, I help patients receiving treatment for cancer or recovering from heart ailments whenever and however I can. I missed my town's Relay for Life in April but will do all I can to make it next Spring. I've done them before and they are a lot of fun.

My wife always does pretty good damage every year in the auctions at the Taste of Oxford, our fundraiser for St. Jude.

Bless y'all for doing what you do.

 

[CBaker]

Charities that help with Alzheimer’s, children/child illnesses in general, or dogs are what I seem to get behind the most.

 

[zbeekner4]

My son had Leukemia(AML) twice between the ages of 8 and 10. He is now 13. His life was saved by a then 19 year old kid in Wyoming. He drove 4 times 6 hours to Denver to check stem cell levels, tests, etc. We were beyond fortune to host our hero and his family last week. Eventhough we were threatened by the hurricane we made the most of it. Our family is forever indebted to this young man!

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My dads stem cell donor was also a random person. A guy named Patrick from Boston. My mom and dad got to meet him a few years ago after everything was completed and he was the nicest guy. It’s really cool to know that there are people out there willing to truly risk their life to save someone else especially someone they don’t know. Pretty incredible.


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[BriMac]

My son had Leukemia(AML) twice between the ages of 8 and 10. He is now 13. His life was saved by a then 19 year old kid in Wyoming. He drove 4 times 6 hours to Denver to check stem cell levels, tests, etc. We were beyond fortune to host our hero and his family last week. Eventhough we were threatened by the hurricane we made the most of it. Our family is forever indebted to this young man!

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Beyond awesome. God bless both of those young men!

 

[oumagic]

All children’s charities speak to my family. We have always supported St. Jude’s with donations, but our passion is a place called “Feed My Starving Children” where we go and serve and fill boxes. My 16 year old son goes with his friends there to get community service hours and my 13 year old daughter has had two birthday parties there. We also like to donate toys and clothes to the “House of Refuge”

My wife is involved with United Way because it is the charity of choice for her employer. That doesn’t speak to me like children charities do.


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[Danimal]

I participate in a few local veteran charities and some animal charities. My wife has been a big sister for a number of years and we have done a lot with that. I used to ride in the MS150 as well but injuries have sidelined my bike riding activities.

 

[GraniteRoost]

Absolutely incredible stories in this thread already. I have two daughters and especially appreciate the comments toward coaching and raising strong girls.

Our family is a supporter of childrens hospitals and cancer research. My wife is a personal trainer that runs an exercise program called PALS (Physical Activity and Lymphedema for Survivors) that helps breast cancer survivors regain lifestyle and confidence through exercise that supports physical and emotional recovery and social bonding/support with other survivors. She raises over $50k/year in program support and provides year round classes free of charge to participants through our local fitness center where she is fitness director. We also support CHaD (Children's Hospital at Dartmouth) and the cancer research at Dartmouth.

One of my favorite things about THP is that a portion of the Albatross Club proceeds go to St. Jude. Folks here simply understand what is important, is there a life membership option?

 

[chefkritter]

There’s a couple that hit home for me. Our son was on the autism spectrum for a couple of years with his speech which thankfully to speech therapy and lots of time he has surpassed his age in vocabulary and speech and will live a completely normal life. Autism Speaks I will always donate time, effort, and money towards as it is very personal to me.

Another is ALS. In the past year I have watched one of my dearest friends go from hitting it 280 plus off the tee being a scratch golfer to now using a rolling walker to be able to move around and has almost completely loss the use of of his arms. It is very painful and heartbreaking to see this to anyone regardless if you are close to them or not and it truly sucks. A group of us are playing in a ALS fundraising tournament in October in his name and honor hoping one day there will be a cure for this dreadful disease.

 

[PhillyV]

Family. Golf was introduced to me by family and has grown throughout my life into the game it is to me because of my family. And the sense of family I have around here helps grow my love for the game. But everything I do in life is family driven. The last four months have really rocked my house and we have had tears of sadness and as recent as today had tears of joy. I don’t think anything means more to me than family