After raising $300,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, in 2010 the year my Mother passed, we started donating the proceeds from our golf tournament to The Maine Cancer Foundation. In 2012, we started Karen’s 5k Walk to raise even more money. We hosted it on for 9 years and stopped in 2021 due to covid. In those 9 years, we raised $86,276. The community and our Maritime team were simply phenomenal in making it possible all the way from the organization, to volunteering on the 5k course, and at the finish line. The event grew and it became a popular local event.

 

Reaching an incredible 30 years of hosting a golf tournament, we decided that we would stop there. It was another tough decision, but it made sense at the time with not having our store business partners to help contribute to the event. In those 14 years, we raised $175,577.

 

Combining those two events we raised a mighty $261,853 to fight cancer! We donated $182,942 of that money to the Maine Cancer Foundation which was directed to cancer research and education. The remaining $78,911 was donated to individuals in our communities who were fighting cancer. We helped people from 3 years old to their late 70’s to include all types of cancers such as colon, breast, leukemia, bladder, brain, bone, sinus, acute myeloid leukemia, ovarian, prostate, lung, melanoma, non-small cell lymphoma (lung), stomach, and neuroblastoma.

 

The desire to help others in their fight against cancer was spearheaded when my Mother was dying of cancer. She said, “maybe we can help others, so some day families won’t have to go through what we are.” My Mom was so unselfish, always thinking of others, right up until the end. 

 

What I soon learned is that everyone had a story to tell. Everyone is impacted by cancer. The statistics are scary and there is not one person who doesn’t know the heartache this horrific disease causes. Therefore, every event was filled with passion, spark, love, and the desire to raise a lot of money, so together we could make a difference.

 

I know we have made a difference. We have received heartwarming thank you notes. We have cried with others. We have hugged one another. We have celebrated people going into remission. Many of you helped volunteer at the events and Angie has been a huge driving force and instrumental in making it all happen. There is an incredible amount of work that goes behind the scenes to pull it off, and to pull it off successfully.

 

I’m very proud. I’m very grateful. I’m thankful for the support all these years. While I am stopping to run a non-profit, I want everyone to know that we will continue to do events to raise money for The Maine Cancer Foundation when we get the The WareHouse Sports Complex up and running.

 

We are not stopping. We are just adjusting our sails.

 

Thank you to those of you have been part of this impactful journey, alongside me. A special thank you goes to Angie Matero for all her heartfelt work!

 

Sincerely,

Susan Ware Page