Today, April 16,  is Wylie’s Day.  Every year since Wylie left us, we dread and cherish the arrival of spring.  Today marks the 5- year anniversary of Wylie’s birthday in heaven-his angel day.  We planted this cherry tree on this day, five years ago. It has blossomed each year on this day.  This year it is larger and more beautiful than ever-as life is and should be.  The awakening of those buds is quite significant. Spring is all around us but these buds remind us of the amazing energy in our Universe-something bigger than us or our comprehension.  This spring- Wylie would be graduating high school with his friends.  It is so bittersweet as we have watched his friends sprout their wings and spread them so wide, ready to fly.  We are proud of them and hope they will call on Wylie for inspiration and courage as they go forth.  His energy and love is out there in that larger universal force for all of us.

The Wylie’s Day Foundation continues to thrive, although, like many org’s, has suffered in this present economy.  Foundation events the past few months include a dance-a-thon, basketball tournament and a volleyball marathon sponsored by the Upper Dublin HS student council.

Up and coming events include a musical  performance for children, June 6^th, hosted by Dresher School of Music.  This will take place at Temple Sinai from 3:30 to 5 and is geared towards 3 to 10 year olds. Check the website for more information in the next few weeks. www.wyliesday.org.

Still months away, but time to mark your calendars, September 26, The Children’s Hospital Parkway Run/Walk. It can’t possibly rain again (can it?!) and we will be grateful if you can join us. Over $500,000 raised and the Wylie’s Day Team was a significant contributor.

Join us, May 6^th at a fundraising event  at the Mina Dresden Gallery in San Francisco.  I know it’s a long way to travel for most, but if you happen to be there or live nearby or have family who might be interested in attending, come on out.  More information on can be found on www.pbtcfoundation.org.

Brilliant scientists and researchers continue to devote their lives and energies towards discovering a cure for pediatric brain tumors, but more money is needed.  Federal cuts in government funding of biomedical research have hindered advances towards a cure.  There is an increased number of brain tumors diagnosed and a decrease in research funding- this is unacceptable.

As always, we are so gracious for your continued love and support and wish you a happy spring.   Make a memory today for tomorrow is not promised.    Carpe Diem.

Peace,

Steph, John and Max

Wylie’s Day Foundation was established by Stephanie and John Strotbeck
and their son Max in memory of their eldest son Wylie, who lost his
battle to a brain tumor in April 2005. Wylie was a great kid whose
energy and enthusiasm will always be remembered.

We would like to thank our community for making this event so
fabulous. The bands participating this year were: The Stereotypes,
Ghost Radio, Mauve Storm, Full Circle, and Hall Pass. So many members
of the community showed their support for this worthwhile cause. Over
40 student and adult volunteers helped to make this night run
smoothly. Hundreds of students came to enjoy the music. Temple Sinai
donated the venue and many local businesses sponsored the event.

This event was a wonderful tribute to Wylie and his love of music.
Sincere thanks to everyone who came out to support the Battle of the
Bands and the Wylie’s Day Foundation.

Graciously submitted as a “letter to the editor” by Debra Brunetto and
Margie Rothfeld on 11/12/08

The Wylie’s Day team generated over $4,000 and we presented a check to the Children’s Hospital Cancer Center for $25,000.

From left to right, Logan Zais, Remy Zais, Levi Zais, Molly Stone, Melissa Sullivan, Max and Juliet Ross, Machala Sockol, Maddie French, Tatum Murray and Lindsy Ross take part in Remy’s Wylie’s Day Foundation run for charity last month

WESTBOROUGH – When 10-year-old Remy Zais couldn’t run for a charity in Philadelphia, she decided to take a walk through Westborough.
The Sherburne Road resident went door-to-door for several weeks last month with her brother, Logan, and her friends to raise more than $1,000 for the Wylie’s Day Foundation to battle childhood cancer. The foundation is named for Remy’s cousin, who died four years ago from a brain tumor, 15 months after he was diagnosed at age 11.
Remy had hoped to join her relatives in Philadelphia on a run in Wylie’s memory to raise money for Children’s Cancer Research. But because of the distance and cost of going there, Remy had to stay home.
“It made me feel sad I couldn’t do it with the rest of my family,” she said.
But she soon decided another way she could contribute was to “bring (the run) here.”
Remy’s plan was to coordinate her own run on the same day her relatives would be running in Pennsylvania. She also established a $500 goal for her event.
To raise the money, she enlisted her friends, sending them a letter asking for help in the fight against childhood cancer. The group held several meetings to plan their fundraising effort, deciding to go door-to-door in the Hundredths Road neighborhood.
Equipped with a sales pitch and cell phones so they wouldn’t get lost, the kids rang doorbells after school on weekdays and sometimes on the weekends.
Though Remy had to sacrifice much of her time to reach her goal, she said the experience was more fun than work.
“We had a great time doing it,” she said. “It was like a play date every day of the week.”
Remy’s plan saw immediate success, too. As she continued to get donations from her neighbors, her goal gradually rose, first to $600, then to $700 and beyond.
“I had parents say to me, ’she’s quite the salesperson,’ ” said Remy’s mother, Dana. “She was surprised when people didn’t donate.”
For Remy, her cause was reason enough to give. She still remembers Wylie’s struggle with cancer, and preventing more children from going through what he did was her inspiration.
“I want to help kids going through the same thing that Riley did,” she said. “I know how they feel, and how their family feels.”
After raising the money, she, her brother and her friends donned Wylie’s Day Foundation T-shirts, headed out into the rain on Sept. 30 and ran two miles. Two hundred and seventy miles away, 140 family members and friends did the same.
When her Philadelphia relatives heard what she done, Remy said, “they were so excited – they said Wylie would be so proud of me.”
Dana, too, was awed by her daughter’s perseverance.
“She honestly did this all by herself,” she said.
But Remy maintained that her goal was actually a modest one.
“If I could save at least one person’s life,” she said. “If we could save one person, then I’m satisfied.”

Recognizing that way too much time has gone by without an update from the Strotbeck family, the solution is to apologize and correct that as we embark on a new year. First, we’d like to say thank you for your continuous support of the Wylie’s Day Foundation and your love and friendship. We wish you all the very best in 2007 and hope you had moments to reflect on the past year, to cherish those special times and think about moving forward. We received many beautiful cards reflecting your growing and changing families.

Personally, I have to admit holiday time seemed to come around quickly, as it often does, and I felt a bit smashed up against a brick wall. Thinking that this would be an easier chunk of time to plow through because it had been 1 _ years since we lost Wylie was a fallacy and I found myself unable to shop, unable to get holiday cards out, unable to reach out to all of you. For that, I am truly sorry.

On a brighter note, the Foundation was able to make major contributions to the Wylie’s Day Fund at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Neuro Oncology Fund in the area of medulloblastoma research as well as to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC) for clinical trials leading to cutting edge discoveries. Additional funding was provided for books, DVD’s, CD’s and programs in the Child Life department at CHOP and the Ronald McDonald Camp, allowing oncology patients a chance to experience some fun. In a little more than a year, Wylie’s Day Foundation has raised over $162,000 of which $98,000 has been distributed to the aforementioned research groups. We will continue to distribute funds to PBT research throughout this year.

Top pediatric oncologists continue to search for cures everyday and it becomes more evident as we become more involved, that funding is crucial. We are currently working with the PBTC to start a fund raising arm know as the PBTC Foundation to subsidize funding from the National Cancer Institute. (NCI). Most unfortunately, funding to this group has been drastically reduced due to cuts from the government programs. This new foundation has its kick-off event at the Carol Schwartz Gallery in Chestnut Hill on March 21st. If anyone is interested in attending, shoot us an e-mailand we will provide more information.

Carpe Diem
Make a memory, tomorrow is not promised.