Thanks to more than 550 Strollers, 450 donors, 50 volunteers, and scores of generous sponsors and in-kind supporters, Maryland families living with breast cancer can be assured of The Red Devils funding services that improve their quality of life. Your collective efforts raised more than $111,000 to pay for essential support services in 2008.  

While the patients we serve were this year’s biggest winners, we’d like to acknowledge once again special achievements and outstanding performances by many of you. This year’s winners of the Reddies for High-Dollar Strollers were:

• Chris Schardt and Friends of Ginny
• Ronda Badiang and Ronda’s Fight to Survive
• The Goils
• Kathy Worthington
• Angels in Disguise
• Hillis-Carnes Engineering
• Peg Stanley
• Judy Clayton
• Joan Worthington
• Tricia Thomas
• Trish Kane
• Kathleen Harvey
• Lauren Baker
• Joanne Anderson
• High Strollers

The Reddies for outstanding performances by an individual, team, family, and for the most team spirit were awarded to:

• Sherry Newman (Most Money Raised by an Individual, $6,365)
• GSH USA Walking for Howard Tom White (Most Money Raised by a Team, $12,130)
• Jamie Reynolds and Family (Most Money Raised by a Family, $4,085)
• Ronda’s Fight to Survive (Most Team Spirit, 56 people recruited and $6,270 raised)

To enjoy images from this year’s Stroll, click here. If you have Stroll pictures you would like to have included in our online gallery, please email them to info@the-red-devils.org. We’ll post as many pictures as we can. 

Thank you for joining us at Centennial Lake, for braving the heat, and for making this year’s Stroll the biggest and best ever. We look forward to seeing you next year. 

The Red Devils 

P.S. If you would like to help plan the 2009 Heart and Sole Stroll, please contact Jan Wilson at jan@the-red-devils.org . New committee members are always welcome. 

2008 Heart and Sole Stroll Schedule

• Please remember to join us at the stage at 11am for the prize announcements.
• Staff will be wearing red shirts and can assist you throughout the day.
• If you are a member of a team, check in at the team table for team info
• If you are a volunteer, check in at the volunteer table.

Schedule:

8am - 10am - registration and shirt pick up.
9am - 11am - Children’s activities and food available in the TRD village.
9:30 am - team photos - gather your team near the team table for a photograph
10am - Stroll begins! Start at the balloon arch across from the stage. The gong will sound the official start
11am - closing ceremonies and prize distribution
11:30 - Enjoy picnicking in the park!

Map of the area

Directions to Centennial Lake:

From Baltimore:
Take 70 West to 29 South to 108 West and look for the Red Devils signs
Or take 95 South to 100 West to 29 South to 108 West

From DC:
Take 29 North to 108 West and look for the Red Devils signs
Or take 95 North to 32 West to 29 North to 108 West

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Biggest Fund-raiser of the Year Benefits MD Patients and Families Living with Breast Cancer

BALTIMORE, MD June 5, 2008 – Driving a car. Cleaning a house. Feeding kids. Attending business meetings. All in a day’s work for many, but try it after hours of a chemotherapy drip, a whopping dosage of radiation or surgery to remove one or both breasts.

This is where The Red Devils steps in, to provide services for Maryland patients and families living with breast cancer – the kinds of services that make life just a bit easier for those in a life-or-death struggle.

Sunday, June 8 is the group’s biggest fund-raiser: The Heart and Sole Stroll at Centennial Park in Columbia, MD. The non-competitive 2.4 mile stroll starts with 9:00 a.m. registration followed by the 10:00 a.m. walk and features entertainment for youngsters as well as a chance to exercise for charity’s sake.

Everyone is invited, including the family dog (on leash). Individual registration is $35; the fee for families is just $70. Pets are free. People may register in advance online at www.the-red-devils.org or arrive early on event day to sign up. Flyers also are available at select area Giant Food locations.

Social worker and nurse coordinators at 28 partner hospitals and breast centers in BaltimoreCity as well as Allegheny, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Harford, Howard and WashingtonCounties plus areas of the Eastern Shore refer patients to Red Devils service providers who help patients and their families better cope with the stress and demands of breast cancer. Services include arranging transportation to and from treatment; buying and delivering meals and groceries; house cleaning; and prescription drug co-pay assistance.

Recipients of Red Devils services tell the story the best, for funds collected go directly to support people such as Vonnie Uzoukwu, a breast cancer survivor who underwent her surgery a year ago last May with Dr. Gauri Bedi in The Hoffberger Breast Center; had chemotherapy with Mercy medical oncologist Dr. David Riseberg and radiation with Dr. Maria Jacobs, director of radiation oncology at Mercy.

“The Red Devils sent me meals, provided transportation, assistance with co-pays, assistance with pain medication. They helped me out a lot and are great,” says Uzoukwu, a mother of four.

The Red Devils even provides funding for such stress-reducing services as acupuncture and massage. Uzoukwu came to Mercy’s Medi Spa for those treatments and now is employed there.

Says Uzoukwu, “I run into a lot of breast cancer patients at the Medi Spa and share information with them about The Red Devils and how they can help. In fact, I still call them and get assistance myself. It’s a super organization.”

Jo Anne Morgan learned about The Red Devils through Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), where she received chemo and radiation treatments.

“GBMC arranged through The Red Devils to have Merry Maids come to my house and clean. It was a true God-send, for I was so weakened and sick from the chemo. My husband cared for me at that time, as well as being full-time primary caregiver for my 91-year-old mother who needs constant attention. He was trying to take care of everything domestic, so The Red Devils provided great relief by having Merry Maids clean the house,” says Morgan.

Patricia Fitzgerald, of Hanover, MD, was referred to The Red Devils by BaltimoreWashingtonMedicalCenter. She received the diagnosis in February of 2006 — stage four metastatic breast cancer — according to husband Damien, who says the family could not have pulled through without the support of The Red Devils and the exceptional medical treatment, some experimental, provided.

“I’d have co-pays ranging from $80 - $100 a month, plus bills for doctor visits. It was just adding up to be too much and then we (lost our source of income). I started calling around to agencies for help and didn’t get anywhere. We would not have survived without The Red Devils and I can tell you, I plan to live for a very long time,” says Fitzgerald, also the mother of four.

According to The Red DevilsExecutive Director Jan Wilson, Sunday’s event will have plenty of children’s activities – including face painting, games and entertainment – plus booths staffed by representatives from The Red Devils’ partner hospitals and breast centers. Strollers may take full advantage of CentennialPark’s playground, rent canoes and paddleboats and reserve tennis courts throughout the day. The first 500 strollers will receive a free t-shirts and four-legged friends will receive special Red Devils gifts as well.

Companies throughout the area are sponsoring teams and registering to start funds coming in to The Red Devils even prior to the June 8 event date. To promote friendly competition, The Red Devils is offering The Reddie Award in four categories: “Most Money Raised by an Individual;” “Most Money Raised by a Family Team;” “Most Money Raised by a Corporate Team;” and “Most Team Spirit.”

Main sponsors this year include HowardCountyGeneralHospital, Aegon Transamerica Foundation and Merritt Properties as well as in-kind sponsors. Media sponsors are ABC2 Baltimore (WMAR-TV), WWMX-FM Radio, and Smart Woman magazine. Emcees for the event are ABC 2’s Mary Beth Marsden and MIX 106.5’s JoJo Girard.

The Red Devils began in 2002 investing $105 in services. Six years later that number has grown to about $175,000 and that growth – plus unique services offered – is what caught the eye of media maven Oprah Winfrey, who included a Red Devils story in a book of “100 Favorite O Magazine Stories” recently published. The Red Devils expects to expand services this year with funds collected from events such as The Heart and Sole Stroll as well as contributions from foundations including The Maryland Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Several area hospitals have stepped up to the plate, donating dollars as well as fielding teams for the cause: Anne Arundel Hospital Center; Baltimore Washington Medical Center; Harbor Hospital; Howard County General Hospital; the Johns Hopkins Breast Center; and Mercy Hospital, whose newest breast surgeon Dr. Dalliah Mashon Black just donated a $500 “Profiles in Philanthropy Award” she recently received from Associated Black Charities to The Red Devils cause.

The Red Devilswas founded in memory of two Marylanders who fought breast cancer with grace and courage – Jessica Cowling and Ginny Schardt – who refused to be defined by their disease. Jessica died in July 2002 and Ginny in August 2002 at the respective ages of 31 and 44. The name comes from a breast cancer treatment drug nicknamed the Red Devil because of its brilliant red hue.

For more information, call The Red Devils 410-323-0135 or log on to www.the-red-devils.org

Photos: A contact sheet of photos from past year’s strolls is available at http://the-red-devils.org/media/pressphotos/

MEDIA CONTACT:

Liz Chuday 410-464-1100; Cell phone: 443-794-4809; liz@the-red-devils.org

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2008/05/16/news/local_news/newsstory5.txt
By Erica Kritt, carrollcountytimes.com Times Staff Writer Friday, May 16, 2008

The Red Hat Riders are saddling up to find a cure for breast cancer.

Vicki Sadler, a member of the Red Hat Riders, said the group felt they needed to do something to help fight a disease that has affected the some of its members.

“All of us had friends that either won, lost or are enduring a battle with breast cancer,” Sadler said.

Two years ago, the group decided to participate in a charity ride for breast cancer in Pennsylvania.

Sadler, who had planned to attend, couldn’t because a friend of hers died the week of the ride from breast cancer.

“The day of the ride was the day of her funeral,” Sadler said. “Saying ‘you’re sorry’ is great, but do something about that.”

Sadler researched organizations and found The Red Devils, an organization she said she wanted to support.

Founded in 2002, The Red Devils, headquartered in Baltimore, are a nonprofit that provides hands-on help to breast cancer patients with cleaning, cooking and transportation.

The Red Hat Riders organized a benefit ride to be held this Saturday at the League of Maryland Horsemen in Marriottsville.

Jan Wilson, executive director of The Red Devils, said the money that is being raised by Saturday’s ride will be going straight to Marylanders who have breast cancer and their families.

“Regrettably, the need for the support services we fund will continue to grow,” Wilson wrote in an e-mail. “Each year, we invest more funds in providing patients with quality-of-life enhancing assistance.”

In 2007, the nonprofit was able to respond to more than 2,000 requests for help, and spent more than $165,000, according to Wilson.

Sadler said she is expecting to raise close to $10,000 from Saturday’s ride. While she said that $10,000 is just a drop in the bucket, if more people got together to do something more money could be raised.

“If people can step out of their box a little bit then they can make a difference in people’s lives,” Sadler said.

Reach staff writer Erica Kritt at 410-857-7876 or erica.kritt@carrollcountytimes.com.

IF YOU GO

What: Ride the Trail to a Cure

When: 10 a.m. Saturday

Where: The League of Maryland Horsemen, 8067 Henryton Road, Marriottsville

Cost: The event is on a sponsor basis, those who are donating $50 or more will receive lunch

Information: Riders are welcome but the grounds will be closed to spectators. E-mail trailtoacure@gmail.com or call 410-549-9344 or visit ridetothecure.kintera.org.

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2008/05/16/news/local_news/newsstory5.txt

Washington Cancer Institute at Washington Hospital Center invites you to its second FREE Living Well with Cancer seminar of the year featuring Alice Matthews Beers, BSN, an oncology nurse and expert on cancer patient recovery. Beers will provide information and guidance on how to communicate effectively with your doctors and other health care providers about post-treatment issues. She will also address the importance of a healthy emotional recovery by discussing how to recognize and manage anxiety, depression and fatigue. The event will be held on Saturday, April 19, from 9 a.m. to Noon at the National Rehabilitation Hospital Auditorium located on the Washington Hospital Center campus, 102 Irving St., NW, Washington, DC 20010. To register, please call 202-877-DOCS (3627) or register online at www.whcenter.org/livingwell

Sarah Berger, Red Devils volunteer, is recruiting women runners to represent the Red Devils on June 22, 2008 in the Baltimore Women’s Classic, the country’s second-oldest women’s-only race whose mission is “promoting fitness and healthy living among all women while increasing awareness of women’s health issues.”

Having spent the past year losing 40 pounds and getting in shape by walking and running, Sarah is ready to take on the challenge of running three miles in public…in devil horns! Her only personal goal on race-day is to finish the course (hopefully before sunset), and she invites any women who support The Red Devils’ mission to join her – runners and walkers alike.

Registration is $25. For more information, and to register as part of team “The Red Devils” (captain Sarah Berger), visit www.baltimorewomensclassic.com. You can also contact Sarah by phone at 443-742-3946 or email her at tobias_isaac@yahoo.com.

Baltimore, MD January 30, 2008 – Believe it or not, some people in Baltimore are making something this Sunday, Feb. 3 OTHER than Super Bowl Chili. Toni Killefer, her friends and friends of friends are gathering for a quilting open house from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m., turning out chemo quilts for an excellent cause: The Red Devils, a fledgling Baltimore charity that recently made it into O’s Guide to Life, The Best of O, The Oprah Magazine, a new book featuring a collection of “more than 100 of my favorite articles from (my magazine over the past seven years),” according to Winfrey.

Founded in 2002, The Red Devils is a Baltimore-based non-profit that funds services to improve the quality of life for Maryland breast cancer patients and their families. Through partners, The Red Devils provides such services as transportation to and from medical appointments; housecleaning; buying groceries and preparing meals; help with prescription drug co-payments; and even stress-reducing massages and acupuncture.

Killefer first learned about The Red Devils through membership in The Baltimore Heritage Quilters Guild. The Guild selected The Red Devils in 2004 and 2006 as the designated charity for a quilt-making project that donated the hand-crafted works-of-art to Red Devils patients undergoing chemotherapy. The Chemo Quilt Open House slated at Killefer’s home this Sunday is not an official Guild event, but a number of its members will participate in this party that has extra special meaning for Killefer.

Last April, Killefer was diagnosed with breast cancer and found out first hand how the “chemo quilts” raise spirits and convey a sense of love sent by unknown individuals sewing their good thoughts and recovery wishes right into their fabric creations.

“I took a ‘chemo quilt’ every time I went to my chemo treatments,” said Killefer, who lives with her three children - ages 9, 7 and 4, plus two dogs – in the Pikesville area near St. Timothy’s School. She is a part-time teacher at The School of the Redeemer Parish Day School off North Charles Street, has completed chemo and now is finishing a radiation regimen at Johns Hopkins at Greenspring Station. Read the rest of this entry »

On May 17, the Red Hat Riders are sponsoring a trail ride at The League of Maryland Horsemen in Marriottsville, MD to benefit The Red Devils. The Red Hat Riders are a small group of Maryland gals who like to trail ride together. They have worked with the Maryland Horse Council and Maryland trail riding clubs to organize activities that foster good trail stewardship and to encourage camaraderie and communication in the trail riding community. They are teaming up with TROT (Trail Riders Of Today), the League of Maryland Horsemen, the Maryland Horse Council Trails and Greenways Committee, and the Grey Mares of Pennsylvania to bring trail riders an opportunity to have fun and make a difference in the lives of those who are living with breast cancer.

There’s no fee to ride, but riders are encouraged to collect pledges to support their ride. Click here to register, support a rider or make a general donation. For more information call 410.549.9344 or email trailtoacure@gmail.com.

Enjoy sweets and bubbly while you shop for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift! And, feel good about it!
Saturday, February 9th, 2008
11am-6pm

The following merchants will donate a portion of February 9th sales to The Red Devils:
Atwater’s • Bratt Décor • Ceriello Fine Italian Foods • Cloud 9 Clothing • Daedalus Books & Music • Grand Cru • Greg’s Bagels • Ikan Seafood & Sushi • Lilac Bijoux • Matava Too • Nouveau Contemporary Goods • Ryan’s Daughter Simply Noted • Sweet Papaya • Taste Restaurant • Techlab Photo Imaging • The House Downtown • The Peanut Shoppe

Make dinner reservations for you and someone special at R’s Americantina in Stevensville for February 11. Come in and enjoy all your kiln-fired Mexican and American favorites like enchiladas, cantina flats, burgers, and ribs. While you’re dining, R’s Americantina will be donating a portion from all dinner sales that evening to The Red Devils.

R’s Americantina is located at 410 Thompson Creek Mall, Stevensville. To make reservations, call 410.643.7700. To see their full menu selections, go to www.RSAMERICANTINA.com.

Come with someone you love for someone you love.