Journeys 2020
Journeys Prep – AYAs
Join local poet, Charlie Cote, and other AYAs as we get ready for another special night in November.
20 Years of Memories
Journeys 2020 marked 13thirty Cancer Connect’s 20th year of making a difference for teens and young adults living with cancer. Journeys is an annual celebration of life where our members and their creativity are featured in a performance that our families and supporters are invited to watch. Though we wish we could have celebrated together in person, this year’s virtual event allowed members living around the country to watch from the comfort of their own homes. The pandemic has challenged us to adapt our programs and events to formats that allow members to safely connect with one another. Our generous sponsors have helped make our continuum of support possible during these uncertain times.
Journeys 2020 included a performance of the Maroon 5 song, “Memories” sang by 13thirty members. This year’s awards went to Doug Spiker for the Make a Difference Award and Jim Blaesi of Blaesi’s Automotive for the Corporate Salute. Watch the song performance or the full event hosted by Corrie Carter from Polite Ink on our YouTube channel:
Special Thanks
We owe a special thank you to Anthony Siciliano of Head to the Roots for opening the event with soothing acoustic music.
If you enjoyed our Sips and Starters packages this year, we can thank Chef’s Catering, Flash Point Customs, Eastway Liquor and Wegmans for their help creating them.
The “Memories” performance was put together by Matt Sengbusch and Jon Madden.
A Great Day for the Bandana Bolt
“The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation defines a survivor as anyone living with a history of cancer – from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life.”
This year we celebrated our 8th annual Bandana Bolt the same day as the 33rd National Cancer Survivors Day. Our hearts at 13thirty Cancer Connect were warmed by the overwhelming virtual participation in this year’s Bandana Bolt 5k run/walk. We had participation all over the country, from coast to coast celebrating cancer survivors everywhere.
“Fun Facts” about the Bandana Bolt 5K:
Bandanas are often worn by AYAs in treatment, hence the name – Bandana Bolt!- Although held virtually, 2020 was the 8th Annual Race. 2013 was our first year and we haven’t stopped running since!
- The Rochester race is always held at Seneca Park.
- The first few years the race was held in the fall, the morning right after Journeys!
- With the exception of the 2020 design, the bandana design is typically a snapshot of a piece of work from NYC based artist and one of Melissa’s brothers, Mark Sengbusch. One of her other brother’s Matthew, helps us with the graphic design.
- Every year, our AYAs create handmade custom butterfly medals for our race winners (due to COVID-19, we missed the tradition this year!)
- The 1st Annual Bandana Bolt 5K – Syracuse will be held on Sunday, October 4th at Green Lakes Park. Fingers crossed!
Not only does the Bandana Bolt help 13thirty Cancer Connect support our AYAs living with cancer, it raises nationwide awareness on their behalf. There’s no “good” time to have cancer, but being an AYA living with cancer is particularly challenging. AYAs are caught in the gap between pediatric and adult medicine and have seen little improvement in survival rates compared to other groups. Being separated from their peers and dealing with a diminished self-image presents unique challenges for AYAs. Read more about how 13thirty Cancer Connect advocates for AYAs living with cancer.
Can’t get enough of this year’s Bandana Bolt? Check out our Facebook page for more photos.
20 Years Making a Difference!
20 Years of Making a Difference in 2020
At the 13thirty Cancer Connect Rochester center we kicked off our celebration of 20 years at our annual pancake breakfast! This annual tradition took on a much larger meaning this year. This year 13thirty Cancer Connect marks its 20 years of changing the landscape for teens and young adults with cancer.
“Twenty years ago I made a promise to my daughter, Melissa, ‘to make a difference, make things better’ for other teens and young adults facing a cancer diagnosis. Twenty years ago the world was not paying attention to the unique needs of the teen and young adult cancer population. While the rest of the world has started to catch up, the mission of 13thirty Cancer Connect has always been, and will always be, to help teens and young adults with cancer live their very best lives – today.”
-Lauren Spiker, 13thirty Founder & Executive Director
Since our beginning 20 years ago (first called Melissa’s Living Legacy Teen Cancer Foundation), 13thirty Cancer Connect has become an internationally known and respected leader in the field of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer with strong passion, clear vision, and steadfast commitment to a singular focus – teens and young adults with cancer. Started as a grass-roots effort twenty years ago, peer support programs for teens, young adults and their parents are offered at the 13thirty Center in Rochester and as of July 2019, also in the Syracuse community.
20th year celebrations will be held all year long for both community members and 13thirty families. Some of our signature events include the 8th Annual Bandana Bolt 5K on Sunday, June 7th at Seneca Park and Journeys, the 19th Annual Celebration of Living on Saturday, November 7th at Temple B’rith Kodesh.
Follow 13thirty Cancer Connect on social media and at 13thirty.org to keep up with our celebrations throughout the year!
Thank you to Congressman Joe Morelle NYS Senators Joe Robach and Rich Funke, and Corinda Crossdale, Monroe County who kicked off our 20th year celebration with our teens and young adults on Monday, January 20, 2020.
To see a full press release of our kick off event, please click here. Check out the news coverage of the event.