I was asked how I got involved with the CureJM Foundation, and I thought this would be a good time to offer that information – and especially to thank my publisher SBPRA for making it possible!!
The short answer is that I looked at the Addie’s Angels FB page because a fellow children’s author (Rita Vetsch) is related to Addie… and I was hooked!
The slightly longer answer is that I had never even heard of Juvenile Myositis, and was astounded that in this day and age there was a children’s incurable disease that was so ignored! There are so many charity organizations focusing on cancer and tumors, etc. – why was no one doing anything about these children suffering from something for which there was no cure, mainly because it didn’t seem important enough to look for one! That’s WRONG! So I decided that perhaps we could run a fundraiser, using my books, to help these children…
So now I really have to give a lot of credit to my publisher, SBPRA and its CEO Robert Fletcher. They not only set it up for me and provided the great video of Addie, but they also handle all the bookkeeping to collect funds and send checks to the CureJM Foundation, etc. I had been running an earlier fundraiser for WCEF (Women’s Economic Council Foundation) in Tennessee, benefiting programs and scholarships for girls and women. I asked the CEO if we could set one up for CureJM, and thanks to Shari Hume and the CureJM Foundation we were able to get it up and running.
Now, the more I learn about these remarkable, resilient children, the more I want to help! I sent extra books to Addie to take with her to donate to the hospital when she was going in for more treatment, and then when she had another “bout” I asked her mother if it would help if I put her name in my next book (Gimme-Jimmy) – which progressed to not only including her name but letting her be one of the illustrated characters (which was a BIG surprise) in Manner-Man. So now I have asked both Addie and Cassandra to be Junior Reviewers for my 2014 book, My Fingerpaint Masterpiece. (You’ll have to wait until the book is near release, before I share their reviews!!!) And this is why I also include the names of any children whose loved ones purchase books through the CureJM Fundraiser site in my next book. If it makes these children happy, then I am all for it!!!
So perhaps this is more than you wanted to know, but please know this: I “suffer” from empathy, and I wish I could do more…I love each of these children I come to know, and I keep them in my prayers… I am still trying to get recognition from the Ellen Show, and some of the major networks, to get the story out. If anyone “knows” anyone, then please share… Let’s find a cure! (And, if possible, please share this with your friends…)
Here is the link to the CureJM Fundraising site: http://sbpra.com/curejm
Here is the link to Addie’s Video from last year… she is still looking for a cure! Addie’s YouTube Video
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Sherrill S. Cannon's Blog 