Q2 Spring/Summer Newsletter
Summer Events
We hope you all are enjoying the start of Summer! We have started planning for our largest fundraiser of the year, ADF Oktoberfest. Save the date for this fun-filled event full of food, drinks, games, and camaraderie!
We are seeking volunteers and donations for our silent auction event. We are also collecting wine for our wine ring toss. Contact Megan or Joann if you are interested in donating or email contactus@andyderrfoundation.org
Sponsorships. This year, sponsorships are available at a variety of tiers starting at $1,500. Please reach out to contactus@andyderrfoundation.org for more information if you or your business are interested in becoming an ADF Oktoberfest sponsor.
Spring Events Recap
Kendra Scott Lehigh Valley hosted a Kendra Gives Back event with over $900 donated to the Andy Derr Foundation! Thank you to all who attended or shopped online to support this cause. Whether you created a beautiful custom piece or found something you loved online, we hope you enjoyed the event. Thank you to the Kendra Scott team for this generous donation!
Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute's Advances in Kidney Cancer Care
ADF was happy to sponsor the Advances in Kidney Cancer Care event at Lehigh Country Club in April. Over 90 patients and family members attended to hear speakers from Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. We thank Katie, Kerri, and Dr. Nair for planning this lovely evening and we look forward to sponsoring it again in the future.
New Donation to St. Luke's University Health Network
ADF is pleased to announce we are elevating educational excellence and research with St. Luke's University Health Network. $25,000 was donated to support a research project within the medical education program studying immune gene mutations. A second $25,000 is ear-marked to continue this research project next year. We are excited to start this new partnership to continue to advance science for kidney cancer patients.
We want to continue to express our thanks and gratitude to all of you that support these fundraising events. Whether you can attend, donate, or share the information, we cannot be successful in our mission to further research, education, engagement, and advocacy for those with kidney cancer with you.
Sincerely,
Joann, Brian, Megan, and Josh
2024 Q1 Newsletter
March is Kidney Cancer Awareness month! Please join us in wearing ORANGE this month to show your support for those currently facing or having faced kidney cancer. Our team has a busy few months ahead of us with multiple events from advocacy days with our partner, KidneyCAN, to shopping for a cause at Kendra Scott! We invite you to join us as we continue our mission in raising funds in research, advocacy, education, and engagement.
We look forward to seeing you at our events!
Spring events are here! Save the dates...
Now through March 21st, ADF March Madness
March 11th and 12th, KidneyCAN's Spring Advocacy Days
April 18th, Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute's Advances in Kidney Cancer Care
April 28th, 1-3pm, Kendra Scott Gives Back Event
ADF March Madness!
Intimidated by filling out a bracket? Tired of having one upset ruin your chance at a payout? Come join our March Madness Squares pool! Like a Super Bowls squares pool, you don’t need any knowledge of the game to win. Select your square(s) and have 63 chances at winning some sweet, sweet cash.
Once all the squares are filled, we’ll randomize the grid. Each square gets two numbers - one for the winning team and one for the losing. This represents the last digit of the final score. If your numbers are 2-0 and the final score is Syracuse 72 and Georgetown 70, you win! If the next game is Duke 82 and UNC 70, you win again!
Squares are $100 each. $25 goes as a donation to ADF and the other $75 goes into the pot, making our total purse $7,500! Payouts for each game are:
First round (not play-in games) - $25/game
Second round - $100/game
Third Round (Sweet Sixteen) - $200/game
Fourth Round (Elite Eight) - $300/game
Fifth Round (Final Four) - $500/game
Final Game - $1,300
For more details, visit the “rules” tab in the link below:
Select your desired square(s) and then submit a payment:
Venmo @AndyDerrFoundation
Mail a check to Andy Derr Foundation, 144 Lilac Drive Allentown, PA 18104
KidneyCAN's Spring Advocacy Days - March 11th & 12th
ADF is partnering with KidneyCAN and several organizations to rally delegates from all over the United States, advocating for kidney cancer research funding. We need delegates - patients, caregivers, doctors, researchers, anyone who is affected by kidney cancer - to tell Congress about the impact the disease on their lives and the need for research funding.
No experience necessary. KidneyCAN provides training and a playbook for the event.
Email Joann at Joann@andyderrfoundation.org to learn more.
Kendra Gives Back Event - April 28th
2023 Tax Letters Now Available
We have mailed out the Donation Acknowledgement letters for 2023 donations as of January 22nd. This letter should have all the information you need if your donations were tax deductible last year. Please consult a tax expert if you have any questions. For a select few folks, we emailed them since we had your email but not an address. If you do not receive your letter, please check your email spam folder and then get in touch with us.
Please see this link if you purchased a silent auction basket at Oktoberfest and need the value: 2023 Oktoberfest Silent Auction Basket Winners
Happy New Year from ADF!
Because of you...
Over $20,000 donated to Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute in December 2023
Thank you for another fantastic year. We look forward to continuing to grow our mission in 2024!
We ended 2023 with our last fundraiser of the year, hosted by Board & Brush - Allentown! Attendees created their own unique, personalized masterpiece for their homes, holidays, and loved ones!
2023 Year End Summary
We want to thank you all for your support, donations, and well-wishes as we continue our mission to raise funds for kidney cancer research, education, engagement, and advocacy. 2023 initiatives included:
Over $55,000 were raised throughout the year!
Our donor base expanded by over 130 people
1,127 people have supported our foundation since inception
4 fundraising events were held throughout the year:
March Madness
Just One More Plant Terrarium Plant Party
ADF Oktoberfest
Board & Brush
Revamped our website
Launched our Queensboro apparel store: https://andyderrfoundation.qbstores.com/home
Partnered with KidneyCan for their Spring and Fall Advocacy Days
Continued to connect with new health networks and foundations
2024 Goals
While we have many goals for 2024, a few we'd like to highlight include:
Fundraising:
Host 4+ fundraising events
Continue to grow ADF Oktoberfest
Promotion:
Continue our partnership with KidneyCan
Consider partnering with additional philanthropic organizations
Improve our foundation:
Add additional board members to our team
Create business sponsorships for fundraising events
Continue to enhance our website
Execute on our mission
If you'd like to help us reach any of these goals, such as sponsorships or joining our board, please email contactus@andyderrfoundation.org
ADF Summer Newsletter
We had an exciting first half of the year with multiple events including our ADF Basketball pool, Terrarium Plant Party, and Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute's Advances in Kidney Cancer event. Thank you to all that attended or donated to these events. It was a busy start, but our momentum doesn't slow...We are looking forward to our upcoming fall events - especially ADF Oktoberfest 2024 - September 16th!
Sincerely,
ADF Board Members
Save the Dates!
Sept 16: Annual ADF Oktoberfest
Sept 18 and 19: KidneyCan Fall Advocacy
Nov 5: Board and Brush Fundraiser
Our annual Oktoberfest, our largest fundraising event each year, is rapidly approaching and we are looking forward to the best part, seeing all of you! While Oktoberfest is sure to be a great time, there is a LOT of preparation going on behind the scenes. Interested in helping with this cause?
Here are some ways you can help:
Consider volunteering the day of
Donate to our silent auction - Megan and Joann are currently collecting items and baskets for the silent auction
If you'd like to volunteer or donate to the silent auction please contact Megan directly at Megan@andyderrfoundation.org
RSVP to the event to help us plan ahead!
Share the invitation to join with friends and family
Summary of Spring Events
ADF Basketball Pool
We were thrilled to host the ADF Basketball Pool again this year. All 100 boxes were sold and with many upsets throughout the tournament things sure were interesting! We raised over $4,000 and thank you all for playing! This basketball pool is always a hit and we plan to host another pool next year.
Terrarium Plant Party
New to our fundraisers this year, we hosted a terrarium plant party in partnership with Just One More Plant in Quakertown, PA. Roughly 20 people attended to create their own terrarium or air plant masterpiece, while learning how to care for terrarium plants.
Spring Advocacy Days
The Andy Derr Foundation partnered with KidneyCan to promote “Spring Advocacy Days- Advocating for Kidney Cancer Funding”. Three representative from our foundation joined with doctors, patients, family members, and advocates from across the country to share their stories with elected representatives and discuss issues that are important to our community and advocate for increased funding for kidney cancer. This year we asked Congress to support $60 million appropriations for Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) and $50.9 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) including $9.98 billion for the National Cancer Institute and long-term tele-health legislation.
Life Sciences PA Advocacy Days
Melissa and Joann traveled to Harrisburg to continue to advocate for kidney cancer research. They met with 5 Representatives or their staff members as part of the Life Sciences PA’s Advocacy Days to share the need for funding the critical work LSPA’s member organizations do, including researching and developing novel medicines and technologies that will better serve patient needs.
Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institutes' Advances In Kidney Cancer Care
ADF sponsored this event hosted by Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute at Lehigh Country Club. This beautiful event featured speakers from Lehigh Valley Health Network, the National Institutes of Health, and our board member, Megan. Attendees were able to meet with one another to share their stories of diagnosis, treatment, and caregiving, and hear about immunotherapy, becoming a kidney cancer advocate, and caring for their sole kidney. Over 100 community members were in attendance.
KidneyCAN Spring Advocacy Days - March 13-14
Please join us on March 13th and 14th for our first 2023 advocacy event, Spring Kidney Cancer Advocacy Days! Andy Derr Foundation is partnering with several organizations to rally delegates from all over the United States to advocate for kidney cancer research funding. We need delegates–patients, caregivers, doctors, researchers, anyone who is affected by kidney cancer–to tell Congress about the impact of the disease and the need for research funding. Every year, Congress allots a specific amount of money for the Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP), which is part of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). That money is then awarded to kidney cancer researchers through grants. This money isn’t a given. We’ve had to fight for it, year after year. In fact, in 2016, the amount of money Congress specifically appropriated for kidney cancer research was ZERO dollars. For 2022, it was $50 million. This kind of change is the result of relentless advocacy from our grassroots army. Spring Advocacy Days will be a two-day hybrid event, including both in-person meetings in Washington, DC, on March 13th, and virtual meetings conducted via Zoom on March 14th. We’d love to have you for Advocacy Days and hope you’ll register to be a delegate. You don’t need any prior experience or special skills. Delegates are provided with training and a toolkit so that you can share your story with Congressional representatives in small meetings. You’ll help them understand the impact of kidney cancer on people’s lives and the urgent need for a cure.
If interested in joining this cause - please email Joann at joann@andyderrfoundation.org
2022 Tax Letters Are Now Available
2022 Donation Tax Letters Are Now Available
We have mailed out the Donation Acknowledgement letters as of January 30th. This letter should have all the information you need if your donations were tax deductible last year. Please consult a tax expert if you have any questions. For a select few folks, we emailed them since we had your email but not an address. If you do not receive your letter, please check your email spam folder and then get in touch with us.
Please see this link if you purchased a silent auction basket at Oktoberfest and need the value: 2022 Oktoberfest Silent Auction Basket Winners