September 4, 2015 First Friday (Schools & Cancer Research)
“Trike the Beach” for August was a great success! Thank you!!
Our First Friday for September is written by Henry’s mom, Marla.
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This upcoming Tuesday is the 1st day of school. In Mrs. Bishop’s kindergarten class, a seat will be empty. She won’t notice the empty seat.
She won’t miss the smiling boy, excited for his first day of school. It’s not that she has overlooked him, it’s that his isn’t there.
Henry would have been starting kindergarten this fall. He would have walked into class, with a backpack two sizes too big. He would have loved Mrs. Bishop, who was also Owen’s teacher.
I don’t like to dwell on the “he should be here” or the “what ifs”. This is where we are. Henry should be starting kindergarten, but he’s not. He’s not alone. Every day, in the United States, 43 kids are diagnosed with cancer. Every day, in the United States, 5 children die because of cancer. Every year, an additional 2,000 parents dread the first day of school, because it is a solid reminder that our children won’t be there.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. It’s also the start of the school, the start of another year of learning. We will send Owen off to second grade, as he is already on the quest to help cure cancer. And I’ll walk by the kindergarten class, with tears in my eyes, and remember the boy who is not there.
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Our kindness theme for the month of September is two fold. First we would like you to “trike” your local school. You could take treats for the staff, a coffee gift card for your child’s teacher or extra supplies for a classroom. Remember to attach a trike ticket so they can pay it forward and please post photos. Secondly, we humbly ask that you consider making a donation to help fund pediatric cancer research at http://www.stbaldricks.org in memory of Henry Friedler.
Let’s help support our schools and students. Who knows…maybe one of them will find the cure for childhood cancer!
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