Going to war with breast cancer
Annual benefit set for Saturday
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BAZETTA -- Cow patty bingo is back. So is the popular raffle-auction jam-packed with prizes.
The 13th annual War Against Breast Cancer Raffle-Auction also will feature costumed princesses and superheroes, live music, food trucks, sweet treats, archery contests and an onsite mobile mammography van. Admission and parking are free.
And even though the forecast predicts temps in the high 70s on Saturday, the fundraiser will be set up indoors at the Commercial Building, near the Main Grandstand, at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds.
"Last year was windy," organizer Beth Ann Vanek of Southington said. "It was cold."
BEGINNINGS
In 2011, friends and family organized the first This Means War benefit -- a three-on-three basketball tournament -- to help Vanek, a nurse and young mother who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Vanek noted that she and her husband, Chuck, both worked and had good insurance, but a lot of unexpected expenses crop up. The little fundraiser not only helped with unmet needs, it provided encouragement and camaraderie that she didn't forget.
Vanek decided to pay it forward. She and a small army of local volunteers have kept the nonprofit War Against Breast Cancer organization going ever since.
Although it has morphed from a basketball tournament at Chalker High School to a raffle-auction at the county fairgrounds, the purpose has remained -- to offer moral and financial support to Trumbull County breast cancer patients for expenses insurance doesn't cover.
The War Against Breast Cancer benefits have raised nearly $142,600 over the first 12 years.
"A lot of the women we have helped had a high (insurance) deductible," volunteer Kelli Weir, Vanek's sister, said. "A lot of medications do not fall under insurance coverage. Those are the two big things -- deductibles and prescriptions.
"We want to focus on lifting them (patients) up from falling into financial despair."
This year's benefit recipient is Jenifer Harris of Cortland. The 1992 Maplewood High School graduate and her husband, Steve, bought their first family home -- "It really was my dream house," she said -- in May 2022. Three months later, after using their savings on a house and already slashing the family budget to fit in mortgage payments, Harris was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer.
"It all went crazy from there," Harris said.
The part-time phlebotomist for Warren Medical Group has missed a lot of work for her treatments, which has included hospitalization after complications with chemotherapy.
Steve, a truck driver at The Anderson-DuBose Co. in Lordstown, picks up as many extra shifts as he can, but the couple got rid of his car to cut back on expenses. The couple and their three teenage children have chopped vacations, activities and other expenses to try to stay ahead of expenses, but are in danger of falling behind on their mortgage, Weir said.
"To go from the excitement of buying your first family home to the shock of receiving a breast cancer diagnosis is unimaginable," Vanek said, "We knew we needed to help Jenifer because we know how devastating the financial burden of cancer treatments can be for any family. This family is dealing with the cancer bills on top of their new home bills."
THIS YEAR'S BENEFIT
For several years, the benefit stretched over two days. This year, everything is streamlined into one day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, with the drawings capping events at 4:15 p.m.
The hundreds of items in the raffle-auction include $300 in Meijer gift cards, a six-hour guided walleye fishing experience on Lake Erie with DNA Sport Fishing, a free Panera Bread pastry every month for a year, tickets to concerts, comedy shows, family fun parks, wine festivals and sporting events, a flat-screen TV, hunting gear, toys and restaurant gift cards. Winners do not need to be present for the 4:15 p.m. drawing.
Cow patty bingo begins at 1:30 p.m. and is limited to 300 tickets for up to $500 and a Texas Roadhouse-Niles butcher's basket.
Texas Roadhouse also is sponsoring an archery contest from 12:30 to 12:45 p.m. in which a bull's eye wins steak for a year. The $5-a-shot entry fee will be donated to Harris.
From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Caleb Gaul and some of his Kings of Revelry bandmates will perform acoustic versions of pop, country, rock, oldies and folk songs.
The Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center's Mobile Mammography Van that will be at the event from 10 a.m. to noon. Walk-ins will be accepted, but reservations are encouraged by sending name, phone number and preferred time of appointment to WarAgainstBreastCancer@hotmail.com.
Food trucks, games and other entertainment will be part of the day.
Sponsors include Texas Roadhouse-Niles, the Mullee Family / Boss Babes LLC, Hope Center for Cancer Care, Curtis Layer Design/Build, Shaker Painting and the Howland Hope Chest, in partnership with the Trumbull County Fair Board.
If you go …
What: War Against Breast Cancer Raffle-Auction
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Raffle-auction drawings begin at 4:15 p.m.
Where: Trumbull County Fairgrounds, 899 Everett Hull Road, Bazetta
Cost: Admission and parking are free. Tickets for various raffle and auction items generally range from $1 to $5.
Why: To raise money for breast cancer survivor Jenifer Harris of Cortland to help offset her lost wages and help pay her out-of-pocket medical expenses.
More info: WarAgainstBreastCancer.com or facebook.com/WarAgainstBreastCancer