Though the weather was hot and rainy on this Saturday afternoon, many still attended the Spike it to Cancer volleyball tourney at Baxter Jack’s Volleyball Club to raise money for the Mary Jane Gift Quality of Life Fund that supports patients at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. The event was organized by Tommy and Alex Gift, who are also the founders of this fund. I watched several teams face off in the sand courts as spectators watched from the side. Many individuals made donations much greater than the $25 minimum while others ate at Ward 426 (across the street) with a portion of sales going towards the fund. All in all, it was a success despite the weather and the other ongoing events that weekend.
According to Michael Neumann, Executive Director of Development at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, the Gifts created the fund three years ago to “provide opportunities for cancer patients” to find some joy and relief through small gestures such as Thanksgiving turkeys and Easter baskets. Neumann stated that many of these recipients have been bone marrow transplant patients due to the fact that they commonly spend the most time in the hospital.
Tommy and Alex Gift explained that they founded this fund after their mother lost her battle with breast cancer in 2010. They wanted to give cancer patients the chance to learn what their mother had learned: “to stay positive, to find something to be thankful for and fight for it, and to find time to step away from it all.” The Gifts explained that their mother had noticed how being diagnosed and treated for cancer took “a financial, physical, and emotional toll on the patients and their families; it was all consuming.” Consequently, they knew that with a fund such as the Mary Jane Gift Quality of Life Fund, they could provide something that “medicine and science wouldn’t help with”- relief for the patients and their families.
Dr. Cesar Rodriguez, who has worked at the cancer center, is a great supporter and takes on a lot of the work to help out the fund. According to Rodriguez, the cancer center support the Gifts’ fund 100%, and he sees what the fund provides as crucial necessities to support the patients and their families. In previous years, other groups have taken notice of this fund and have taken it upon themselves to make special contributions. In 2013, Actors Theater donated tickets for the Christmas Carol, and in 2014, Robert Curran, Artistic Director of the Louisville Ballet, provided tickets to the Nutcracker with VIP and Backstage passes.
The Gifts and Rodriguez hope the fund will grow to the point that they can provide more opportunities for patient relief such as with nice dinners downtown, sport tickets, or theater show tickets. Ultimately, they want to be able to send patients and their families on vacation while the patient is in remission or after he/she is cured.
Though they are able to raise thousands of dollars at this event and through donations, they are looking to create another fundraising event in the near future. For now, they have had great success with each Spike it to Cancer tourney, always drawing in over a hundred supporters. Donations may be made at anytime on this site, and if you are interested in volunteering, please contact Michael Neumann ( 502-562-4642 or michael.neumann@louisville.edu) for more information.
Photo Courtesy of Irena Tran
