First Friday Update - October 2, 2009
This October edition of the First Friday Newsletter has us back from that long trip that included Cask Night, the Cape Cod Nevus Gathering, and a scientific meeting at Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor.
You read our “day after Cask Night” story last time. Since then, Kim Reinart’s total for Cask Night touched $1600. I keep thinking, if we could just find 52 different micro-breweries in 52 different places which could put on an event like this once a year, it would raise $83,200. I raise my glass to Kim Reinart and Cask Night! Wow!
The Cape Cod Nevus Gathering was a lovely event. We spent the day with 8 people with giant nevi and their families - 23 people in all. The locals said we got the best weather Eastern Massachusetts had to offer. A good time and great food were enjoyed by all.
In Bar Harbor, Maine, we were treated to dinner by Dr. John Sundberg, Principal Investigator at The Jackson Laboratory, whose mission is to discover the genetic basis for preventing, treating and curing human disease, and to enable research for the global biomedical community. Dr. Sundberg gave us five hours of his time to discuss our mutual research synergies. “I find relationships with patient groups for rare diseases to be very valuable,” he said. We are excited to embark on a research relationship with Jackson Labs.
Now back in the office, pressing matters: continuing to raise money for all the varied Nevus Outreach awareness, support and research activities. Watch your mailboxes for our fall newsletter, due to be mailed next week, and our Conference 2010 registration packet, due to be mailed October 30, with registration to open (cross your fingers) on November 2.
Stay tuned for news about our grassroots fundraising campaign! Thanks in part to the success of Brian Stockbridge and his efforts with both Nevus Outreach and the Livestrong Foundation, we are taking a cue from Lance Armstrong, and encouraging as many individuals (i.e. you) as we can to take a shot at raising a few bucks for a great cause (Nevus Outreach, of course). Details are to be released October 7 – watch nevus.org!
I hope you have a great weekend.
Mark Beckwith
Executive Director
Nevus Outreach, Inc.
(918) 331-0595 office
(918) 440-6123 cell
