The 12th Annual Team Jack Radiothon being hosted at The Home Agency location in Elwood, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
ELWOOD — The 12th Annual Team Jack Radiothon was being held at The Home Agency in Elwood throughout the day on Thursday, Sept. 26.
The event, for the sixth year, was The Home Agency and the Jim and Sharri Baldonado family. Stories from families affected by childhood brain cancer were shared throughout the day to raise awareness and research funds for the disease.
“We are excited to be able to host the radiothon in Elwood at The Home Agency again this year and hope that it’s our most successful year yet! Last year, we had an overwhelming response, raising $172,000 in just one day. It’s incredible and heartwarming to see everyone come together for such an important cause,” said Jim Baldonado, President, The Home Agency.
Kylie Dockter, Team Jack Executive Director, was on site on Thursday and said that the radiothon was being broadcast on a record 25 stations throughout the state, including the Husker Sports Radio Network.
Volunteers were busy manning phone backs and computers, taking down donation information from callers throughout the day under a red tent next to the The Home Agency location in Elwood.
Dockter said that 40 volunteers would take turns throughout the day at the phones, many of them Home Agency staff.
In addition, members of the Elwood Lions Club were serving a free lunch to those who made their donations in person, said Dockter.
Lindsey Nemetz, Team Jack Director of Marketing, said that donations mainly come from Nebraska, but earlier in the morning they received donations from New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Maryland and even one from Norway.
Nemetz said the goal this year was to raise $200,000.
Nemetz said that the radiothon would not be possible without support from The Home Agency, the generosity of donors and all of the volunteers.
Each donation, no matter the amount, could play a role in helping rewrite the future for a child who is suffering from brain cancer, Nemetz said.
Childhood brain cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children and is a serious issue for Nebraska children, Dockter said. She said the statistics are, “alarming.”
Dockter said that through a partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, a majority of the donations are used to directly impact Nebraska children who are diagnosed with brain cancer.
The Team Jack Radiothon has raised over $1.2 million for childhood brain cancer, and this is a testament to the great people in Nebraska.
About Team Jack Foundation
The Team Jack Foundation’s mission is to raise research funds and awareness for childhood brain cancer. The disease affects nearly 5,000 children each year and is the leading cancer cause of death in children.
Each year less than four percent of U.S. federal funding is solely dedicated to childhood cancer research, with even less spent on childhood brain cancer research. One area of focus for the Foundation is the development of a childhood brain tumor program in Omaha, Nebraska.
Team Jack has committed $6.5 million toward the program at UNMC and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center that funds clinical and laboratory research, pain management in cancer, and education to make an impact for regional children affected by brain cancer.
