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Hope for a Cure
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scholarship fund running short on raffle ticket sales
The
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Hope for a Cure Memorial Educational Scholarship Fund
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Committee is hoping for a different type of miracle in the
coming days. They want to sell 400 raffle tickets for their annual
fundraiser at $100 each.
“Hope for a Cure” scholarship fund running short on raffle ticket sales
The “Hope for a Cure Memorial Educational Scholarship Fund” Committee is hoping for a different type of miracle in the coming days. They want to sell 400 raffle tickets for their annual fundraiser at $100 each.
For seven years, the committee has planned a dinner and fashion show in October for their fundraiser.
This year the committee experimented with their tried and true fundraiser.
“Because of the cost of putting on that type of event, we elected not to do that,” said Jeannine Porteur DiVincenzo, a committee member. “With the help of the community foundation, it was suggested we do this raffle.”
The committee members sent out 400 letters with 400 raffle tickets to past donors, active community members and others. The goal of the committee is to collect $40,000.
For $100, each raffle ticket has a chance to win a grand prize of $5,000, a second prize of $3,000 or three other prizes of $1,000.
“Unfortunately, the response has been poor,” DiVincenzo said two weeks before the Oct. 13 drawing.
The scholarship fund is administered through the Community Foundation of San Benito County and gives out scholarships to graduating seniors who have lost a parent, grandparent or guardian to cancer. The students write an essay on their relationship with the person they lost and how it affected their lives.
The scholarship is in memory of three San Benito residents who died of breast cancer – Juli-An Rowe, Karen Flaherty and Rose Arnerich.
Mary Andrade, one committee member, knows how hard it is for a teen to have a parent diagnosed with cancer. Her own mother, Rose Arnerich, was diagnosed with breast cancer when Andrade was in high school.
“Mom was diagnosed when I was a teenager, even though I was able to have her with me longer,” Andrade said. “It was a very slow process. I ended up losing her, but at a much later point.”
Andrade’s mother died two years ago, after battling cancer for 28 years. The family also knew Rowe and Flaherty well. Rowe was a sister-in-law’s sister and Flaherty was a close family friend.
“We have a personal attachment to all three,” Andrade said.
She has been involved with the scholarship for years, though the loss of her own mother cemented her commitment to the fund. Even her teenage son has been involved in the fundraising efforts. Jason Andrade spoke about the death of his grandmother at a recent rotary club meeting.
“It was always a constraint on the family, not just an individual,” Jason said. “Mom was gone a lot with Grandma. We had to help around the house more.”
The San Benito High School senior said his life is different because of losing someone close to him to cancer.
“It’s almost like we had to grow up faster,” said the 17-year-old. “We had to take on responsibilities of an adult at a younger age.”
While he plays on the water polo team and is active on campus, Jason said he has missed out on some of the fun of high school while dealing with his grandmother’s illness.
“It’s always hard to see a loved one in pain and struggling. I never wanted to see her that way,” he said. “It was amazing to see how she fought throughout the whole time.”
One thing that kept Arnerich fighting through six reoccurrences of cancer was seeing her grandchildren, her family said.
“She wanted to see us all together,” Jason said.
The scholarship is one way the family is remembering Arnerich – though this year’s fundraiser still has a ways to go.
To boost sales, DiVincenzo shared a booth at the San Benito County Fair where she sold five tickets. She had a handful of others tell her they had mailed in checks for the raffle tickets.
Andrade – who has seen the cost of medical bills for treating cancer – said the scholarship is important because money for college is something that can be in short supply for families that have lost a member to cancer.
“There truly is no cure, but every step brings us closer,” Andrade said. “Maybe one of these kids will bring us even closer.”
To purchase a raffle ticket, contact Jeannine Porteur DiVincenzo at 831-635-0722. Tickets will be on sale through Oct. 13. The drawing will be at San Juan Oaks, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. Ticket purchasers do not need to be present to win.
