The Huddle: Fall 2021 Edition

THE HUDDLE

Welcome to the fourth quarter edition newsletter, “The Huddle”, which we hope will be a helpful source of news and information for our teammates, donors, volunteers, and friends. To keep everyone in on the game plan, we encourage you to sign up on our website to continue to receive this newsletter quarterly.

MEET KE'YAIR

This courageous young man is 10 years old. Ke’yair is battling Osteosarcoma. Ke’yair was first diagnosed in 2019. In 2020, he relapsed. On August 25, shortly after his relapse, Ke’yair had his right leg amputated.

This past July Ke’yair underwent surgery to remove a cancerous nodule from his lungs. The surgery went well and he is doing great! Ke’yair has an incredible army of people supporting him! It is easy to see why, as he has a contagious smile that never leaves his face even on his toughest days.

Ke’yair is a big fan of superheroes. He also loves video games, Legos, sports, and hanging out with his service dog Dexter!

MEET BELLE

This fierce girl is six years old. Belle was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in February 2021.

Belle’s cancer diagnosis came after she began experiencing facial palsy. Within three days of her first symptoms, Belle was officially diagnosed with AML and was admitted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where she began receiving chemotherapy. Belle underwent six months of intense chemotherapy treatment. She finished her fourth and final round of chemotherapy this past August. While her treatment is over, Belle continues to receive medications and endures pokes and prods along with weekly blood tests.

Belle has a twin sister, Lola, to whom she is very close. Going through treatment during COVID has been especially hard for them as Belle cannot have any visitors other than her parents.

Her father shares, “It’s important we can keep her spirits up, which so far she has done. She has blown us away with her levels of positivity and bravery! She is an inspiration to us all and is our superhero!”

BIG BUFFALO 50

On October 23, 2021, we hosted the fourth annual Big Buffalo 50 at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, TN benefitting The Cancer Kickers Soccer Club. This race is our biggest fundraiser of the year and 100% of the proceeds go directly to the kids and families who are a part of The Cancer Kickers Soccer Club organization.

We were blessed with beautiful weather and an amazing crowd! We had 535 runners who participated in one of three races: a 50-mile race, a 50K race, or a 50K relay race. While it is certainly no easy feat to run 50 miles, it is nothing compared to the battles our teammates face every single day.

It is such a privilege to be able to put on this incredible event for such a great cause and we are excited to continue growing this race year after year. The runners and the Memphis community as a whole have shown us incredible support and none of this would be possible without them!

Mark your calendars for our 2022 race on Saturday, March 26th! For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Emily at emily@cancerkickers.com.

DONOR OF THE MONTH

The Cancer Kickers Soccer Club is proud to say that it has some of the most dedicated and inspiring donors. For this edition’s “Donor of the Month”, we’d like to introduce you to MAGIS Performance, owned and operated by Hector Cantele. MAGIS, which means “more” in Latin, is an elite soccer training program in Memphis, TN that teaches its players to establish goals, achieve them, and continue the pursuit of excellence both on and off the field.

Hector, who is Venezuelan and a former professional soccer player, is passionate about empowering others and aims to instill those same principles in his students. Recently, Hector brought one of his MAGIS camps to our Cancer Kickers office for a tour. After Coach Chris explained our mission, Hector had his team write heartfelt notes of encouragement and support to some of our CKSC teammates, which we then mailed. Hector, who is a member of the Cancer Kickers Supporters Club, taught his campers that giving can be as much fun as soccer and we received a generous financial contribution from the boys and their families that will go to serve more of our CKSC teammates.

If you want to learn more about MAGIS Performance click here.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

HAPPYFEET SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS

Cancer Kickers Soccer Club is honored to partner with Memphis HappyFeet, a local youth soccer program. This fall, each HappyFeet school in the Memphis area was paired with a Cancer Kickers teammate.

Brett Borm, the director of Memphis HappyFeet dedicated an entire class in each school to supporting our CKSC teammates. During this class, the HappyFeet kids spent time brainstorming about different ways they can help others and talking about how being a part of a team can truly uplift one’s spirit. The HappyFeet kids enjoyed coloring pictures for their new Cancer Kickers teammate as a way to encourage them along with creating a cheer for them!

In addition, each HappyFeet class created a video of themselves performing several soccer skills to share with their new Cancer Kickers teammate. This is a wonderful ongoing partnership and we are truly grateful to have the support of our local community!

Giving Tuesday, which is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world around them. Now the largest giving movement in history, Giving Tuesday was created as a philanthropic response to the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

This year, Giving Tuesday will take place on Tuesday, November 30th. The Cancer Kickers Soccer Club is asking for your support this Giving Tuesday. With your help, we can make a lasting impact for children and their families as they battle cancer, and together we can help kick cancer to the curb! No gift is too small, as every dollar donated goes directly to support our brave “teammates”, and giving is as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Make a donation to help kids with cancer here

2. Consider making your gift monthly so that we can ensure that no child fights cancer alone

3. Check out these smiles and know that you had a hand in putting them there!

NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDERS

As we begin the month of November, we reflect on the many blessings in our lives. We are so grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve and bring comfort and joy to so many children around the world. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we are truly thankful for all of our brave teammates, their amazing families, and all of our supporters. Wishing you all the Happiest of Holidays from Coach Chris, myself, and all of us here at Cancer Kickers!