I'm stepping in the ring to fight on behalf of some of the bravest fighters I know - the kids of The Valerie Fund, a non-profit with the mission of supporting comprehensive health care and treatment of children fighting cancer and blood disorders.   The Valerie Fund supports seven Valerie Fund Children’s Centers close to home, where these children are greeted by a team of social workers, child life specialists, psychologists and other psychosocial specialists to ease their family’s journey beyond just the medicine.

I first got involved with the junior board of The Valerie Fund around 4 years ago, with my wife Janelle joining me in the organization the next year. Then, coincidentally, when I joined the mortgage team at Cerberus found that many of the guys on our team were also involved on various levels with this incredible organization - even putting on a fundraising event every winter. 

Over the years of junior board involvement and attending this event, I've been fortunate enough to meet and have conversations with a number of these "kids". I put that in quotes first because many of them are actually young adults of 18, 19, 20 by this point - but also because by that point they have gone through - and overcome - more than many adults will in their entire lifetime. I am never anything but profoundly amazed and inspired after these conversations with young men and women who have spent much of the childhoods battling through life threatening illness and painful treatment - and now are seemingly bottomless wells of positivity and energy as they go through college and move forward with their lives. 

So when I heard at a junior board meeting about a guy who had fought in Haymakers for The Valerie Fund a few years back, I filed that in the back of my mind for this year (my wife and I got married last November, and figured was best not to have a black eye at the altar). If those kids can fight this terrible disease, beat it, and come out the other side with their incredible outlook on life - then I can get in the ring for a few rounds to step up and do a little something to help them. 

So please donate here to directly benefit The Valerie Fund, and be on the lookout for tickets to go on sale.

And for more information about The Valerie Fund please check out the link below.

https://www.thevaleriefund.org/about/