• 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

    memoriesWe 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.

  • Cornhole

    Rochester Event – Register your team in the cornhole tournament today to benefit 13thirty Cancer Connect.

  • laurel

    Meet Laurel

    Laurel Simer came to the 13thirty Cancer Connect Syracuse Center for a special visit earlier this month. Representing the Utica College Women’s Hockey Team, Laurel brought a generous donation raised by auctioning team jerseys as a part of their Gold Ribbon game. Read more about the fund raiser here. She also shared with us a little about her own journey with cancer.

    Meet Laurel - AYA Living with Cancer

    Laurel's Cancer Journey


    Laurel's Visit to 13thirty

     

    DIPG – A Rare Brain Cancer

    DIPG is very rare and most people had never heard of it until someone close to them was diagnosed. I think a lot of people hear about cancer and know that its bad. When you can put a face to it and show that this could happen to anyone—your friend, your coworker, your teammate– it makes it personal so it helps people learn about it more and care about it more. Some of my friends have shirts that say “DIPG Warrior Laurel” on them. Some even wear them whenever they travel somewhere, hoping that someone will ask about it so that they can tell my story and tell them about DIPG and help raise awareness that way.

    When I was playing at UC, Coach Clausen instilled in us the importance of being involved in our local community and giving back whenever and however we could. This is still a major value of the team today and I’m just so happy that they continue to spread awareness and hold this game each year.

    Why 13thirty Cancer Connect

    I learned about 13thirty from Charlie Poole and his family. He was also diagnosed with DIPG. I was finally able to meet Charlie and his parents in person in May, 2017 and it was great, they are awesome people. I hate the reason that we met, but I am very grateful that I know them. Although he has since passed away, I feel like Charlie and I shared a lot of the same feelings towards our cancer and being older than most people who get it (The typical age of children diagnosed is 5-10). We both understood the importance of raising awareness and helping out the kids however we could.

    13thirty seemed like a place that would be really beneficial for a lot of people. I actually wish that I had had something like it when I was a teenager. Charlie had also come to one of the gold ribbon games a few years ago so I thought this could be a perfect fit.

    What inspires hope in you?

    I have great friends who have been very supportive of me. Some of my close friends, they know that I still get nervous before a doctor’s appointment, I still worry about what my tests will show, but they are my rock sometimes and they are always there encouraging me when I need it. Just seeing the research that has been done recently– they have learned more in the past 5-10 years than they learned in 20 years before that. I think doctors and researchers are coming a long way, and they are making advances, and it just shows the importance of raising awareness. Because raising awareness and telling your story leads to funding, funding leads to research, and research will eventually lead to a cure.

  • Thank you to our 2019 Sponsors!

    We are so grateful for our many sponsors this year! Your help in 2019 made it possible for us to share our mission and benefit even more teens and young adults living with cancer. We have had successful annual events such as Journeys and Bandana Bolt and we have expanded! Our first additional chapter is now available for the Syracuse community of teens and young adults living with cancer.

    Sponsors Welcome

    Interested in becoming a sponsor? There are still Sponsorships available at the $150, $250, $500, $1,250 and $2,500 level! Email christina@13thirty.org to get involved!

    LEADERS

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    BELIEVERS

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    DREAMERS

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    BUILDERS

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    FRIENDS

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    Lou Siciliano, CPA

     

     

  • #Think13thirty on #ROCtheDay!

     

    ROC

    ROC the Day with 13thirty Cancer Connect!

    ROC the Day brings our community together and 13thirty Cancer Connect hopes to make this year a huge success. This a 24-hour giving opportunity to support nonprofits in the Greater Rochester area. Community supporters like you are encouraged to visit ROCtheDay.org, a secure online giving platform, to contribute to any participating nonprofit organization, like 13thirty Cancer Connect. Donors have can make an impact by giving to one or multiple organizations to support their personal philanthropic passions. We hope you consider 13thirty Cancer Connect!

    When you choose 13thirty Cancer Connect, you are supporting vital peer support programs for teens and young adults with cancer. In fact, all money given during ROC the Day stays local. What’s more, United Way of Greater Rochester is hosting ROC the Day as a service to our community and will cover their portion of the standard processing fee! That means your contribution will have an even greater impact for teens and young adults with cancer.

    New Goals for the New Year

    Last year we raised over $1,500 in just one day. We’re hoping to inspire even more ROCstar donors to give to 13thirty Cancer Connect this year. This year a handful of lucky ROCstar donors will be randomly chosen to give a free, additional $500 to the charity of their choice! As a 13thirty Champion, we wanted to let you know about this activity and invite you to join us in supporting this 24 hours of unprecedented nonprofit giving.

    #ROCtheDay #Think13thirty

  • sponsors

    2018 Bandana Bolt Sponsors

    Thank You 2018 Bandana Bolt Sponsors!

    We want to send a huge thank you to all of our generous sponsors that helped make the 2018 Bandana Bolt possible. Thank you to our 13thirty Friends, Builders, Dreamers, Believers, and Leaders for believing in what we do. We love participating in the Greater Rochester community along side our volunteers and sponsors. With support from our sponsors, we hope to continue to grow this annual event and we truly cannot do it without your help. Our 5k race proceeds help to support our mission at 13thirty Cancer Connect:

    To help adolescents and young adults (AYAs) impacted by cancer live their very best lives – today!

    We offer weekly programs to our 13thirty teens and young adults and monthly programs to parents. Programs include the arts, fitness and nutrition, and just getting together and having fun with people who understand. Our center is where they connect with others who get what its like to be an AYA living with cancer. So here’s to many more Bandana Bolts and in turn, many more programs!

    Interested in becoming a sponsor for next year’s Bandana Bolt or some of our other events in the community? Learn more about our events and contact us about how to get involved.

  • life

    Celebrating Life at Journeys!

    On November 4, we will gather once again for a celebration of life in honor of all the teens and young adults with cancer that we have been privileged to know and love over the years. This will be the 16th Journeys, our Annual Celebration of Living!

    If you’ve been to Journeys, you know how special this night is. If you’ve never been, I hope this will be the year you will join us because Journeys is unlike any other charity gala. In fact, we don’t call it a gala because there is no formal dress, the special themed centerpieces are fashioned on my dining room table, and there are only a few, short speeches! We call it a Celebration because that’s what we do.

    We celebrate all the kids who have inspired us to be the best we can be and to give as much as we’re able.

    Past 13thirty members, whose bonds of friendship were forged years ago, reunite as if no time or space has separated them. Present members welcome potential new members in friendship. Our families share stories with common themes and guests who have not been touched by adolescent and young adult cancer are forever changed by the energy in the room.

    During the cocktail hour, student groups provide the music, enthusiastic volunteers sell raffle tickets and corks for the wine pull, while delicious appetizers are passed by the wonderful staff of Creative Caterers. After dinner, the program starts with our time-honored, candle lighting ceremony, during which we remember our friends who — though gone — continue to warm our hearts with their light. We recognize special folks who have helped us. This year’s “Corporate Sponsor Salute” goes to ValPak of Rochester and Dr. Barbara Asselin will receive the “Make a Difference Award.”

    And then, it’s time for the highlight of the night: The kids’ performance!

    Each year, we have a theme around which the “kids” of 13thirty Cancer Connect craft a presentation that will give our guests an authentic view of what it’s like to be a teen or young adult with cancer. As you might gather from our invitation, this year’s theme is “Bridges” —  but I’m not going to say any more. You’ll just have to come and see for yourself what we’ve put together for you! We are thrilled to be working with Larry Moss and Kelly Cheatle from Airigami (airigami.com) this year. Here’s a clue – there are balloons involved. Lots of them! Local poets, Charlie Cote and Danielle Shied, helped the kids put feelings to words and our friend Dan Roach, as always, makes us sound and look great!

    It’s going to be an amazing night and I hope you will be there because if you are, you will see what keeps me going every day.

    When Melissa died, our hearts were forever shattered but I knew we were strong enough to carry on, to continue living, to somehow put one foot in front of the other. What I didn’t know was just how much better I could be, how much more I could love, how much joy I would find in the young people I work with every day. They are the beacons of hope in this (sometimes) dark world. They rise above the small things and keep focus on what’s important. They truly live and love life and I am so very proud of them all.

    I promise you, Journeys is a night you don’t want to miss! You can RSVP online until Oct. 26 at www.roc.13thirty.org.

    See you on November 4th!


    About the Author

    lauren-spiker-1Lauren Spiker is our founder, executive director, and chief visionary with a pulse on what’s happening in the world of AYA oncology. Her dreams are big and bold!

  • journeys

    Journeys 2016 – RSVP Now!

    Reserve your Journeys 2016 today!

    15th Annual Celebration of Living

    October 15th, 2016 6:00PM
    Temple B’rith Kodesh
    2131 Elmwood Ave
    Rochester, NY 14618

    Please join us!
    Silent Auction, Raffles, Wine Pull, Cocktails, Music Dinner and Dessert

    Make a Difference Award
    Dr. Amy Parkhill, St. John Fisher College

    Corporate Sponsor Salute
    Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield

    Presentation
    The Faces Behind the Masks Our 13thirty teens and young adults reveal the real faces and stories that cancer often masks. You’ll be inspired!

    Purchase Tickets

    Single Ticket: $75  

    Table of Eight: $520   

    Sponsor a Teen Family: $225   

    Contact info@13thirty.org or call us at (585) 563-6221 for more information.