First, and foremost, we would like to thank Henry Kasbarian, Michael Morse, and Cody Somma of the Bay State Correctional Center in Norfolk, MA for organizing this fundraising event and to the Pirelli Veteran’s Skating Arena in Franklin, MA for hosting us.

Additional thanks must be given to the employees, friends, and family members of the Bay State Correctional Center, Old Colony Correctional Center, MCI-Framingham, Sousa- Baranowski Correctional Center, MCI-Cedar Junction, and the South Shore Chiefs for attending and participating at this year’s tournament.

We also appreciate the New England Aquarium, The Hall at Patriots Place, the Lafayette House, the British Beer Company, CrossFit Franklin, and Home Depot for kindly donating admission passes, gift cards, training sessions, autographed memorabilia and a charcoal grill that were raffled off at the event.

In the end, MCI-Cedar Junction won over Bay State Correctional Center in a final shoot out but it was the $1,000+ in donations from everyone involved that made Christopher’s Haven the real winner of the day.

In the past month Clay and Lindsay have kindly donated their time visiting Christopher’s Haven to bond with some of our families and recently provided two of our kids, David and Alex, with tickets to the Red Sox-Blue Jays game on May 10th.

In case you were wondering, the Sox beat the Jays 5-0!

The Buchholz’s have also launched the Clay Buchholz Foundation in March 2013 with a mission to provide health, educational and sports programs, resources and opportunities to improve the lives of children in need.

The foundation’s first event, The Buchholz Bowl, is currently scheduled for July 18, 2013 at Lucky Strike Lanes/Jillain’s in Boston, MA. Details are still forthcoming.

All of us at Christopher’s Haven are honored to have Clay, Lindsay, and The Clay Buchholz Foundation working tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of the children and families who stay with us.

Thanks for making Christopher’s Haven officially a part of Red Sox Nation!

Rivers School students Justin (left) and Olivia (right) on their visit to Christopher’s Haven.

When Justin Snider and Olivia Thomajan became leaders of their tenth grade service project at the Rivers School in Weston, MA they chose to do something special for the kids staying at Christopher’s Haven.

With the help of their peers, Justin and Olivia kindly delivered customized goody bags and baked goods for all the kids currently with us.

Each bag was signed with inspiring messages from the students and inside were fun items personalized to the age and gender of the recipient. Some of our youngest kids got candy, coloring books and Beanie Babies while our older residents received baseball bats and magazines among other things.

We can’t thank Justin, Olivia, and everyone at the Rivers School enough for making these generous donations possible. These goody bags really helped brighten the day of our Christopher’s Haven kids and brought some much needed comfort to them while they stay in this home away from home.

Olivia (left) and Justin (right) with goody bags they made and donated to our Christopher’s Haven kids.

Christopher’s Haven family Mike, Karly and Shannon Gerow came back to visit on April 23, 2012.

Last week Christopher’s Haven was honored to receive a donation from a hardworking fifth grader, and this week we have opened our doors to even more kind donations from both familiar faces and new friends.

Mike, Shannon, and Karly Gerow — who stayed with us last March while Karly underwent proton therapy at MassGeneral Hospital for Children — were kind enough to stop by and donate Whole Foods gift cards before taking Karly, now 3 1/2 years old, for a yearly check-up.

To have past Christopher’s Haven families, like the Gerow’s, come back not only to visit but to also support our current families is very gracious and we can’t thank them enough.

Handmade fleece blankets were donated by Lorna and Ashley Hazelton.

We also have to acknowledge our appreciation for Lorna and Ashley Hazelton of Chester, NH who donated more than a dozen beautiful handmade fleece blankets to provide to children currently staying with us.

Ashley, a cancer survivor, and her mother are the true meaning of heroes among us.

Ella visited Christopher’s Haven to deliver her donation on April 18, 2013.

Lunch break, who needs one? Certainly not Ella Morry.

After looking for a way to make a difference for those in need, Ella, a fifth grader at Quashnet Middle School in Mashpee, MA,  came up with the idea to spend her lunch periods in the school’s principal office working on a plan to raise money for Christopher’s Haven.

This kind hearted young girl was able to collect donations from friends at school and family members. Ella then had each donor write their name on strips of construction paper which she then turned into a long paper chain.

We could not be more thankful for Ella’s kindness, and her sweetness puts a smile on all of our faces here at Christopher’s Haven.

We would also like to thank Denise Griffin, General Manager, of the Fieldhouse in Sudbury, MA for hosting this event in addition to all of the motivated participants, volunteers, and donors who came out to support our goal of providing a home for kids when cancer hits home.

Keep checking our News & Events page to learn more about upcoming opportunities to get involved with Christopher’s Haven.

Participants came ready to play dodgeball and floor hockey at a tournament held March 15, 2013 benefitting Christopher’s Haven.

]]> http://www.christophershaven.org/dodgeball-floor-hockey-tournament/feed/ 0 http://www.christophershaven.org/boston-marathon-part/ http://www.christophershaven.org/boston-marathon-part/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 02:09:19 +0000 Chris OMeara http://www.christophershaven.org/?p=2004 Continue reading →]]> With the start of the 2013 Boston Marathon just five weeks away training is certainly at the top of every participants’ agenda, but that didn’t stop our team of 2013 Boston Marathon runners from celebrating their involvement with both the historic race and Christopher’s Haven.

Our runners — Bob Cargill, Beth Daley, and Monique Scales — were warmly greeted in our community loft for a pre-marathon party yesterday hosted by the families and children currently staying with us in addition to our staff and select board members. Adding to the festivities were cupcakes and creative posters supporting each runner, made by Christopher’s Haven kids with the help of our Family Services Manager, Katelyn Hinson.

We hope we made everyone feel right at home in the Christopher’s Haven community loft, and we can’t wait to cheer on Bob, Beth, and Monique on Marathon Monday, April 15, 2013.

To help Bob, Beth and Monique in their fundraising efforts for Team Christopher, please visit their CrowdRise and FirstGiving donation pages listed below.

• Bob Cargill’s FirstGiving Donation Page 
• Beth Daley’s CrowdRise Donation Page
• Monique Scales’ CrowdRise Donation Page

Last year we had two incredible runners, Alycia LeDuc and Janet Khaemba, complete the 2012 Boston Marathon on behalf of Christopher’s Haven, raising a total of $14,000.

Our 2013 marathon runners (from left to right): Bob Cargill, Beth Daley, & Monique Scales.

This year we are fortunate enough to have a total of three runners  – Bob Cargill, Beth Daley, and Monique Scales – taking part in the 2013 Boston Marathon and their efforts to raise $15,000+ for Christopher’s Haven this marathon season have only just begun.

To help Bob, Beth and Monique in their fundraising efforts for Team Christopher, please visit their CrowdRise and FirstGiving donation pages listed below.

• Bob Cargill’s FirstGiving Donation Page 
• Beth Daley’s CrowdRise Donation Page
• Monique Scales’ CrowdRise Donation Page

Also, take the time to watch this short video (below) from Bob Cargill explaining his reasons for running in this year’s marathon on our behalf.

As the start of the 2013 Boston Marathon approaches on April 15, 2013 keep checking the Christopher’s Haven Blog and News & Events page regularly for more information on our runners, their fundraising goals, and our plans for Marathon Monday.

(From left to right) Host, Bill Duvall; Christopher’s Haven Founder, Dan Olsen; Operations Manager, Elaine O’Meara; board member, Paul Knutrud; board member, Dave Egan; Executive Director, Joyce Duvall; and board members, Bruce Soulé and Perry Beckett at the December 2012 Board/Staff Holiday Meeting.

What a year it has been here at Christopher’s Haven.

Not only did we welcome our 200th family but we also began remodeling our community loft among other things.

Over the holidays we had the pleasure of sharing a wonderful Christmas Eve celebration (see photo gallery below) with the families currently staying with us who come from as close as Georgia to as far away as France and Australia.

We also had a year end board and staff meeting to celebrate our year long milestones and achievements.

As we reflect on the year that was, we would like to extend our deepest appreciation for all the wonderful volunteers, event organizers, donors and families who go above and beyond the ordinary to support our mission.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year from the board and staff of Christopher’s Haven. May the bells keep ringing all year long!

Held at the Jackalope Brewing Company headquarters in Nashville, TN, the event featured live music from bands covering everything from the Rolling Stones to the Allman Brothers in addition to a silent auction.

We would like to thank Reed West and Max Baker for organizing this wonderful event, all the bands who played, those who donated silent auction items, and to Jackalope Brewing Company for hosting us. Raising awareness and donations through music… Now that rocks!

For more photos from Cover the Cause visit our Christopher’s Haven Facebook page.

(From left to right) Max Baker, Reed West, Christopher’s Haven Executive Director Joyce Duvall and Christopher’s Haven Founder Dan Olsen at Cover the Cause.

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