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The Children's Tumor Foundation is truly grateful for every volunteer, participant, and donation that has contributed to the outstanding success of the NF Walk Program. Whether you walked, ran, or wheeled, you should be proud of yourself for getting involved in this fantastic community event, supporting the The NF Walk, and getting some exercise to top it off. Thank you for an incredible past three years and we look forward to 2012 when we’ll take more steps toward ending NF. 2011 Events
Au Gres, MI NF Walk
July 23, 2011 marked the first annual NF Walk in Savoy, MA in the heart of the Berkshires. Over $4,000 was raised at the Walk and family and friends enjoyed a cookout at the conclusion of the event.
Denver, CO NF Walk Clement Park September 11, 2011  The Third Annual Denver NF Walk was held on Sunday, September 11, 2011 at Clement Park. We had fantastic weather, and a record turnout of 350 people. While it was our third NF Walk, we had several firsts this year: we awarded our first ever NF Hero award to Jake Sensenbaugh, we added some entertaining children’s events (kids fun run and carnival), and we had several representatives from the Colorado Avalanche attend and lend support to our cause. We also continued several other traditions, including having a great local band, McBath, providing free refreshments to everyone who attended, and conducting a silent auction with some great items. This year, nearly $30K was raised for NF research!
Over 200 people came from all over Florida to walk for NF in Jupiter! The event raised over $38,000. After completing the one mile course, participants returned to amazing food including bacon wrapped scallops, chicken satay, coconut shrimp, and Pad Thai provided by Too Bizarre in Jupiter, FL! Fun for the kids included a gymnastic obstacle course, cupcake decorating, necklace making, digging for dinosaurs and more!
Lexington, KY hosted their inaugural NF Walk and raised over $2000. A great start for a first Walk! Over 79 participants and at least two to three companies participated in donations. Thanks to Dale Allen who donated the delicious hot chocolate and his time making balloons! Lots of new NF Families attended and were inspired to fundraise for next year.
The 2011 Monroe NF Walk was a great success. It was at Sterling State Park in Monroe,MI. It included a 3 mile walk on the wooded nature trail with stations along the way with water and snacks. Food and beverages were provided by local businesses. Children's activities included a craft table, magic show, carnival games and face painting. We also had a raffle and bake sale. It was a great day enjoyed by nearly 400 walkers and volunteers and raising around $35,000 for CTF! Nashville, TN NF Walk
Centennial Park
September 18, 2011 marked the inaugural NF Walk in Rhode Island. The Ocean State Walk was the first event sponsored by the new Ocean State NF Chapter and raised over $12,000!
Savannah, GA NF Walk
The St. Louis, MO NF Walk held in Clydesdale Park on October 8, 2011 featured a lively raffle and brought in approximately $2000. The event was organized by Holly Archambault in honor of her two-year-old daughter, Avery, who lives with NF1.
The inaugural Wrightsville Beach NF Walk raised close to $10,000! Drawing inspiration from the Greensboro NF Walk, Whitney Roberts decided to plan the Walk as her senior project in honor of her brother, Noah. They had food, games, prizes, and over 250 participants, on 25 teams, wearing signs with the name of their NF Hero.
2010 Events
San Diego NF Walk, San Diego
Battery Park NF Walk,New York
Staten Island NF Walk, New York
Brunswick NF Walk, Maine There was an overwhelming sense of doing something meaningful by coming together to raise awareness about neurofibromatosis and the Foundation. Plans were being made for next years walk; to raise more awareness and more funding to help find treatments and a cure for NF. The 3rd Annual Brunswick NF Walk has already been scheduled for Saturday, September 17, 2011! We hope that we have another great turn out in support of the medical and scientific research of the Children’s Tumor Foundation.
Denver NF Walk, Colorado
Milwaukee NF Walk, Wisconsin
Green Bay NF Walk, Wisconsin
Nashville NF Walk, Tennessee
Greenville NF Walk, South Carolina
Greensboro NF Walk, North Carolina
Las Vegas NF Walk, Nevada
LA NF Walk, California 2009 EventsInaugural Denver NF Walk
People came from all across the state, as well as from several neighboring states (Kansas, Wyoming and Texas) to join teams of family members who were participating in the walk. Even though the band decided it was too cold to play, we enjoyed a festive atmosphere and accomplished our objectives of having fun, building awareness of NF and the Children’s Tumor Foundation, and raising money for NF Research (over $55K!) The NF Walk will definitely become an annual tradition for the Colorado Chapter.
4th Annual L.A. Walk, California
Staten Island Walk, NY
Brunswick NF Walk, ME
Freedom Trail Walk, Boston MA
Cherry Blossom Walk, Washington DC
Daytona 5K Run and Fun Walk, FL
March for a Cure, IN |
On August 20, 2011, the inaugural NF Walk Au Gres was held in Au Gres, Michigan and raised over $5,000. The walk was in honor of Jana Rollins' 14th birthday and was chaired by Colleen Rollins.
This year Dallas hosted its first NF Walk. Held at Veterans Park, the event attracted over 200 walkers 13 teams, garnered the support of 17 sponsors, and raised more than $32,000. The Arlington Fire Department sent out a truck in honor of all the NF Heroes and kids were able to take pictures with the fireman. There was a clown, a face painter, a DJ, and lots of great raffle prizes.
The walk was chaired by Sheila Drevyanko. The walk featured a large number of day-of registrants, totaling 225. A unique feature was the “NF Mom’s Rock” table (adjacent to the registration table). Also, families were given “NF Family” labels with colored star stickers indicating if they were affected by NF1 or 2. After the walk, Julie and Lance Elmquist graciously hosted a hog roast at their home for everyone after the Walk.
The first ever NF Walk in Virginia was a huge success raising close to $30,000! With over 200 participants, and 15 teams, organizers could not have been happier with the turnout. From cupcake decorating to games for the children and an amazing auction, the NF Walk Fredericksburg was a wonderful event. Planning for next year has already begun!
Jupiter, FL NF Walk
The Nevada Chapter hosted a Las Vegas NF Walk on a beautiful day in June. There were over 75 walkers and 7 teams. BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse donated all the post-walk food and beverages for the participants. The walk raised over $5,000 for NF research. A special thanks to the walk committee Lori Bjorkquist and Jennifer Halbert for all of their hard work.
The California chapter hosted their 6th Annual LA Walk at Westchester Park. The walk was hosted by NBC Weathercaster Fritz Coleman and NY Jets Kicker Nick Folk. Over 300 people came out to participate and support the walk program. There were 30 Teams and 15 sponsors who contributed to this amazing day. The event raised over $65,000. We featured a Live Auction with Team Artwork. We had special appearances by the LA Laker Girls and Storm Troopers. Special thanks to our hardworking LA Walk committee Joyce Marks, Kim Robinson, Debbie Horn, and Kathy Hernandez.
The Milwaukee NF Walk had over one hundred walkers and was a wonderful day for all involved. The weather was beautiful and the Walk's course followed nature trails at Havenwoods State Park. Volunteers gave demonstrations about working with snakes, there was a raffle with lots of great items, and Cousins subs were available for those who were hungry. There was also a face painter, games for kids, and Mr. Jelly Belly showed up to greet the participants. It was a very happy day and the event raised over $5,000!
On July 31, 2011, a bright, warm Sunday morning, over 200 people gathered in Minneapolis' beautiful Minnehaha Park for a 3 mile walk to raise funds for neurofibromatosis research. Organized by Children's Tumor Foundation Board Member JoAnne Pastel and longtime Foundation constituent Brian Lease, with tremendous support from sponsors such as C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc., Land Rover and Neiman Marcus, the Minneapolis NF Walk retained a festive atmosphere from start to finish. After a breakfast of bagels, muffins, juice and coffee, the NF Heroes, their families and friends, as well as staff from the Children's Tumor Foundation, set off along a scenic trail accompanied by music, cheerleaders and mascots from the Minnesota Twins and the Minnesota Timberwolves, and applause from those in the park. Upon completion of the walk, participants engaged in games and a gift basket raffle while enjoying a barbeque. 
Nearly 200 people came to walk, help and celebrate our NF Heroes at the NF Walk NYC on October 1. It was a huge success, an inspiring day, and an unbelievable show of support. The participants walked a three mile route in historic Battery Park along the picturesque esplanade of the Hudson River. The event included delicious refreshments, special visits from Cookie Monster and a magician, and an exciting raffle for prizes. NF Walk NYC raised $29,284, enough to fund two Drug Discovery Initiatives or bring a new scientist into neurofibromatosis research!
The West New York chapter held their first-ever NF Walk on May 22nd in Rochester, NY and raised $27,000 for NF research. NF Walk Rochester was a hit, bringing out 300 friends, families and dogs to walk for NF awareness. Children’s Tumor foundation is proud to have Western NY on board as one of our newest chapters and looks forward to more fun from this region in the future.
This year’s Salt Lake City, UT NF Walk was a big success. The event had over 120 walkers on 12 teams and raised more than $10,000. Winder Farms was among the 18 proud sponsors of the Walk and provided a tent in which walkers could sample their famous chocolate milk. An amazing dance squad warmed up the participants, and Disney characters walked around and taking pictures with the kids.
This year’s Inaugural San Jose NF Walk at Vasona Lake County Park raised over $11,000. Over 120 walkers participated on this beautiful day and kids enjoyed watching the park train go around and having their faces painted. The walk had 15 sponsors and 9 teams for this big event. The Anderson Family donated 2 handmade blankets in honor of NF Hero Dakota Anderson for the walk raffle. Special thanks to the walk committee Shaista Soroya and Cameron Otto for making this day a big success.
A great group gathered to walk for NF in Savannah, GA. A first-of-its-kind in this part of Georgia, the walk brought in close to $3,000. Congratulations to the Cantrell Family for organizing such a memorable day. A wonderful highlight was Ryan Eversley, Racing4Research and TRG driver, who attended, handed out autographs, and posed for pictures with all the NF heroes. 
The 2nd Annual NF Walk that was held in Brunswick, ME on the Androscoggin River Bicycle and Pedestrian Path was attended by 50 people, including 4 families directly affected by NF! The were a lot of familiar faces and many new faces - all were warmly welcomed. Due to the generosity of the walkers and the generosity of their families, friends and co-workers we came close to our goal of $8,000. Early figures show that the money raised through pledges and corporate match is about $6,500! 
The 5th Annual LA Walk was held on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at the Westchester Park in Los Angeles. The walk had over 200 walkers and 30 volunteers. The weather was warm and sunny making it a beautiful day for a 5K walk. The Walk raised more than $52, 000. There was a raffle, silent auction, and a live auction of artwork painted by our NF Heroes. The theme was “My Dreams for My Future”. Loma White, Senior Field Deputy for Councilwoman Jan Perry, spoke on this topic. The Los Angeles Laker Girls were there signing autographs. The Stormtroopers were back in action along with Darth Vader and R2 D2 participating in the walk. Nick Folk, kicker for the NY Jets, was there signing autographs and raising money for our Live Auction. Fritz Coleman NBC channel 4 weathercaster was the MC. Noisy Toys and Cochart provided the entertainment. Dr. Tena Rosser from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles spoke about NF and about the Foundation’s affiliate clinic at CHLA. The event was a wonderful success and we are looking forward to the 6th Annual LA Walk on May 14, 2011!
Over 200 people turned out on a snowy and cold October morning in Denver for our Inaugural NF Walk. 
The Los Angeles Walk for Children’s Tumor Foundation was held in the Westchester Park on September 26, 2009. A beautiful day and a successful walk! There were over 20 teams in attendance and several hundred people. The contributions raised by this walk exceed $65,000.00, a new record! There were beautiful “Laker Girl” cheerleaders autographing photos and a whole team of Storm troopers and Star Wars characters taking photos and walking the 5K! At the finish walkers were given a Walk T-shirt and plenty of food. The Noisy Toys store set up a wonderful drumming section for music and all were invited to take part. There were tables of free give away toys and candies from Hobbs n’ Dobbs toy/candy warehouse. There was also a jumpy tent for the little ones! Everyone had a blast!
The 2nd annual Staten Island Walk took place on September 26th and was a phenomenal success raising over 16K for NF research. Thanks to the organizers and sponsors who made the event fun for everyone. There was a DJ, SI Yankee mascot, Elmo, Sponge Bob, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and a color guard from Curtis H.S. Jr. Air Force ROTC. Can't wait for next year!
The first annual Walk for Neurofibromatosis was held at the Androscoggin River Bicycle and Pedestrian Path in Brunswick, ME on Saturday, September 19, 2009. Sixty walkers arrived early on a bright, windy, chilly day to raise awareness and support research for treatments and a cure for neurofibromatosis.
After nearly three weeks of rain, cool weather, fog and clouds; the sun shined bright and warm in Boston, MA on June 27th for the Boston Freedom Trail “Walk For A Cure”. This was the first Boston-based NF Walk to support the medical and scientific research of the Children’s Tumor Foundation.
Over 100 participants at the 2009 NF Forum "Patient and Family Medical Symposium" walked to the White House on April 6, 2009 to raise awareness about NF. It was a fun walk for many families and children who were excited to visit the White House and view the Cherry Blossoms along the walk route!
We recently did a walk at my son's school and raised $5000! It was all Kindergarten through 2nd graders walking and fundraising and it was the easiest thing to do. I took my son, Jesse age 4, into the school and my 1st grade son, Blake, got on the morning announcements and introduced him and told everyone (on the school TV) about Jesse's struggles with NF and asked for their help. All the kids were sent home with flyers with details along with permission slips and pledge sheets for per lap pledges or flat donations. The kids brought donations and pledges in and on the day of the walk, we walked the hall of the school - it went in a perfect square. At each lap, each child got a popsicle stick to mark how many laps they did. At the end of the time, we counted sticks and sent the children home with the number of laps so that they could collect on the pledges. We gave a very short deadline for everone to get their pledges in (walk on Friday, pledges due on Monday). Some pledges came late, but we did awesome! I sent out an email to the media and one news station came. It aired on the 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. news which was great. Jill Markland
