Newsletter - Volume 3 Issue 2 - Fall 2008

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Inside this issue:

Dance Showcase 2009!
Dates to Remember
KBMF Pays It Forward
Chicago Strom Joins "Kathryn's Bears"
A Day To Remember
Cookbooks for Christmas, Yum!
Listen Up Runners!
Three Years Ago
Thank You's

 

 

Dance Showcase 2009!


Don't miss our biggest fundraiser of the year and join us for food, music, raffles, a dance performance and more!

This years showcase is set to be another successful fundraiser for KBMF.

When:Friday May 15th, 2009
Event starts at 6pm
Performance begins at 7:30pm
Where:College of DuPage Arts Center, Main Stage

This year's dance groups include: DuPage Dance Team, Extensions Dance Company, Inside Out Dance Company, Naperville Central High School Orchesis, Naperville North High School Orchesis, Neuqua Valley High School Orchesis, School of Performing Arts, Sole Dance Academy, Soul Unique, Steps Dance Center, Waubonsie Valley High School Orchesis and the dance group from the Chicago STORM soccer team!

Showcase Tickets are ON SALE NOW!

To reserve your tickets:

By Phone: Call College of DuPage Ticket Office at 630-942-4000

Online: Go to www.cod.edu/mac and click on Tickets

Tickets prices are $15/Adult, $12/Student and Seniors

 

 

Dates to Remember

November 20th, 2008
3 years since Kathryn's passing

December 20th, 2008
Chicago Storm Teddy Bear Toss

April 15th, 2009
Kathryn's 21st Birthday

May 15th, 2009
4th Kathryn Bender Dance Showcase

Date Coming Soon!
3rd KBMF 5K Walk/Run

 

 

KBMF Pays It Forward

The Kathryn Bender Memorial Foundation has been paying it forward by making several recent donations to many other Foundations.

Our biggest donation was made to Midwest Heart Foundation which focuses on research and prevention of Sudden Death and performs cardiac screenings on local high school teenagers.

We have also made donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Paige Nicole White Cancer Foundation, and Relay for Life which supports the American Cancer Society.

These donations would not be possible without your help and support.

 

 

Chicago Storm joins "Kathryn's Bears"

Many of you might remember that each year KBMF collects "Kathryn's Bears" along with handheld games to donate to Children's Memorial Hospital. This year in addition to collecting Teddy Bears, we have been included in another wonderful event called the "Teddy Bear Toss."

The "Teddy Bear Toss" is a yearly event held by the Chicago Storm, a professional indoor soccer team. At their home opener game on December 20th, all of the attendants are supposed to bring a stuffed animal. When the Chicago Storm makes their first goal, everyone tosses the stuffed animals on the field! The games are played at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, IL. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased from Ticketmaster at 312-559-1212 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

This year, the Chicago Storm has decided to join KBMF in taking their collected stuffed animals with KBMF's "Kathryn's Bears" and deliver them to the Children's Memorial Hospital.

These donations are collected year round at the hospital and are given to children after an operation or when they are having a bad day. With the help of the Chicago Storm we are going to be able to donate an incredible amount of bears to Children's Memorial.

Thank you to Lindsey Jones and Jennifer Drankie for helping us put this together. We know that we will bring smiles to many children's faces!

 

 

A Day To Remember

Again this year, the Gift of Hope has hosted an event called "A Day to Remember." This event honors organ, tissue and eye donors. Families of the donors are invited to celebrate and remember their special loved ones. This year, the event took place on September 6th, 2008 at Wildlife Prairie State Park in Peoria, IL.

During the Day to Remember Ceremony, Kathryn's name was one of many to be read aloud.

 

 

Cookbooks for Christmas, Yum!

Believe it or not, the holiday season is closer than you think. Soon enough, we will start to see the holiday commercials and hear the holiday music!

Don't forget to buy your family and friends a simply delicious gift of chocolate recipes!

KBMF still has "Chocolate Thursdays" Cookbooks for sale with tasty treats like: Tiny French Silk Pies with White Chocolate Whipped Cream, Cream Cheese Marbled Brownies with Fudge Candy Frosting, Chocolate Éclair Cake and, of course, The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford (or the 2006 version Matthew McConaughey, Brad Pitt, or ...take your pick).

Be sure not to let anyone miss out on these sweet sensations. The holidays won't be the same without them!

To order, simply fill out the form included in this newsletter. Seasons Greetings!

 

 

Listen Up Runners!

This past June brought many of Kathryn's family and friends and plenty of new faces to walk a 5K and raise money for Sudden Death.

This year's 5K in June was a big success! We had about 150 attendants.

We would like to send out a huge thank you to our sponsors:

Autumn Oak Millwork Specialties, Inc.
ConexNet
Einstein's Bros. Bagels
ChiroSport Family Health Center
Ellman Family and Music Center
Michael's Fresh Market
STEPS Dance Center
Neil Gates Photography
Nestle Waters North America

Naperville's local television network NCTV was there and recorded a segment to appear on local television. You can watch that segment on our website in our Video Galley.

Next year we will be holding the walk at Neuqua Valley High School. The date is soon to follow!

 

 

Three Years Ago

"...the best therapy after something like this happens, is to help prevent anything like it from happening again."

It has been three years since Kathryn left us and still she seems right here. When someone so loved with such a bright future is taken away, we often wonder why? Why do such tragic things happen to people that don't deserve it?

Everyone deals with an event like this differently. The way I see it, you can either be angry and unforgiving or you can turn it around and do something positive. After Kathryn's passing, I have heard of many other cases and stories just like hers. I truly believe that the best therapy after something like this happens, is to help prevent anything like it from happening again. That is the sole purpose of the Kathryn Bender Memorial Foundation.

We can only hope that by making donations for research and spreading the word about sudden death, that we can make a difference in someone else's life, just like Kathryn did in ours.

 

 

Thank You's

Autumn Oak Millwork Specialties - for their continued support of our fundraisers

Chicago Storm - for joining us in "Kathryn's Bears" this year

Nick Melville - for keeping the website updated

Honeywell Corp. - for their donation to KBMF

Joanne Marty - for her support towards KBMF

Midwest Heart Foundation - for participating in KBMF fundraisers and for their continued research and fundraising for Sudden Death

Ray Kinney at Minute Man Press - for printing our newsletter

STEPS Dance Center - for continuing to volunteer and help KBMF with fundraising activities

Steve Mahoney - for his continued support and dedication to KBMF

And everyone who continues to support and donate to KBMF