Gasparilla Distance Classic 2013 – Nearly $9,000 Raised!

What a great weekend running for Ezra and all his fellow neuroblastoma fighters! This was our third year running the Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic, and it was so good to see everyone out there!

A huge thank you to all the runners, walkers, and strollers who came out and ran with us, raising nearly $9,000 to benefit research into a cure for neuroblastoma. You guys were amazing, and we’re so grateful to have you all on our team. A special thanks to our top fundraisers, Dave and Deb Matthews and Abigail Bonham – both with $1,000 or more raised!

Top supporters received a pretty sweet Because of Ezra hoodie, and we’ve got some for sale as well – if you’d like one, shop here!

It was a great day for running – in the 80s but slightly overcast the whole time. We can’t wait to see you all out there again next year, with even more red-shirted BoE supporters fighting pediatric cancer!

(Didn’t get a chance to give, but wanted to? You can still support the run here, or make a normal donation here! THANK YOU!)

Attention Runners / Walkers!

Tampa runners, joggers, lovers of the pavement, and haters of cancer – come run the Gasparilla Distance Classic with us!

EVERYONE can do this – runs range from a 5K jog, strollers jog, or run… all the way up to a half marathon. We’re doing it a little different this year – check the link below to create your own fundraising page (it’s super easy – just press the big green “Become a Fundraiser” button)!

All funds raised benefit Because of Ezra to support our mission of funding relevant research into a cure for neuroblastoma, the most common form of pediatric cancer. $50 or more raised gets you one of our awesome t-shirts – $750 or more raised gets you a pair of custom Nike running shoes in BoE colors!

Come on out and run with us – we’d love to see the most runners ever this year! If you can’t make it, please share the event so your runner / walker / stroller friends can come out. If you can’t make it, you can also donate toward someone running by pressing the Donate button below.

THANK YOU!

Sign up at http://stayclassy.org/gasparilla.

Because of Ezra Holiday Inserts!

It’s that time of year! What better gift then to let friends and family know you’ve made a donation towards curing pediatric cancer in their name?

Holiday inserts from Because of Ezra are great to mail out with your holiday cards, or even as stocking stuffers! They come professionally printed on 14pt matte card stock, front-side only. Cards are 3.5″ wide and 3″ tall.

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month!

Hey! September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. We thought we’d make up some photos for you to use, and we’ll keep listing them here along with their URLs (please feel free to share them or use them as your Facebook cover photo, profile pic, or however you’d like!).

First Annual Karaoke for Kids in Beverly Hills Raises Six Figures!

Wow – what an evening we had last night! Our first annual Karaoke for Kids event went without a hitch at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. Over 400 people showed up to enjoy the live-band karaoke, desserts sponsored by Cookie Casa, drinks, and great appetizers from the SLS Hotel food staff.

Through tickets, sponsorships, raffles, donations, and auctions, we raised $110,000 which will nearly all go directly to fund relevant research into neuroblastoma – making a difference for children fighting today. 

The Karaoke for Kids event will be held every year in Beverly Hills – this is the first of many! We are making a difference – and we thank all of you so much for your support. Ezra has such a large piece of our hearts, and we will not stop fighting in his name until we’ve seen neuroblastoma cured. His 800 days of life motivate so many of us – we do this because of Ezra.

We’d like to give our huge thanks to so many people. We’re so grateful to our sponsors – who include United Talent Agency, HBO, CBS, FX, CollegeHumor.com, and Ziffren Brittenham, LLP. Our amazing board members Marissa and Erica deserve more thanks than we could possibly give – we love them. Their husbands Matt and Brad are also amazing  and deserve big thanks. A special thank you goes to Nick Offerman (you probably know him as Ron Swanson on NBC’s Parks and Recreation – pic at the top of the post!) for donating his famous mustache to be auctioned off – and creating by hand a stunning wooden base which it is displayed on. Congrats to Philip Lord for winning that mustacheum at auction!

 Our incredible board!

Thanks again for all of you guys’ help – we’re excited to keep raising awareness, funds, and finding a cure for neuroblastoma.

Oh – and we’d love for you check out our #nomorenb campaign! Please share it with your friends, put it on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest… people need to hear these stories – and you guys make the difference.

The Nick Offerman Mustachium

“My mustache and I are tickled pink to have the opportunity to help raise some funds for this great charity,” Offerman told Vulture via e-mail… Can’t make it to the auction in person? Send an email to offermanmustache@gmail.com for info on how you might yet end up owning the Nick Offerman Mustachium.”

http://vulture.com

1st Annual Karaoke for Kids – August 23rd, SLS Hotel in LA

Whoa – are we excited about this event!

On behalf of Because of Ezra and the Event Committee, we are delighted to announce the first ever “Karaoke for Kids” on Thursday, August 23rd from 7-10pm at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills.

We assure you that you’ve never been to a benefit like this.  We will have a live karaoke band making it possible for every guest to be a rock star… for at least a few minutes.  And, in what will become an annual riot, our guests will have the opportunity to bid on many selected “fancy pants” clients, executives, housewives, politicians and rockstars to sing with them to any song of their choice! We will also have an incredible raffle auction for your prize winning pleasure!

For those of you who are interested in attending, you can buy individual tickets in our online store. If you’re interested in being an event sponsor (tax deductible), please use our contact form for more information on sponsorship levels and benefits (click here for the sponsorship levels). Might be a bit of a hike for our Tampa friends – but you west coasters will have an easier time getting there! We do have a limited number of seats available, so if you’re thinking of coming, snap those tickets up.

All proceeds benefit Because of Ezra, and over 90% of your donations go directly to relevant research.

Gaspar’s Grotto Lunch

If you’re from Tampa, you’ve probably heard of Gaspar’s Grotto. It’s in Ybor, and Tampa Bay’s channel 10 says they have the best Cuban in town.

The folks over there are teaming up with Because of Ezra and Riders of Grace for a fundraiser lunch!

On Saturday, April 28th, from 1pm-4pm, come on down to Gaspar’s Grotto to lunch with us and the Riders of Grace motorcycle charter. Our 2nd annual Because of Ezra Benefit Ride is May 19th, and this lunch will be a partner event for the ride – we’ll hang out, eat, drink, and chat for a nice Saturday afternoon.

Tickets are $25/person, and must be pre-ordered. For the Gaspars Grotto menu you’ll be able to choose from, click here (pdf). This includes a meal AND a drink (and yes, that includes beer/wine/well also). We’ll have our own blocked off area, and there’ll be live music as well!

We’d love to see you guys all out there to enjoy a good meal, a great Saturday, and friends. And don’t forget to tell your friends they’re all invited!

REMEMBER – you MUST buy tickets BEFORE the event. Here’s the link: http://becauseofezra.org/shop/gaspars-grotto-lunch-ticket/

Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic 2012

Hey there all you Floridians! Over 50 runners ran with us last year (check out the video here) in the Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic, the largest run in Florida. This year, we’re hoping to have even more folks with us.

We’re doing the same thing we did last year – for anyone who registers for the run and donates over $25 (in addition to your race registration fee, which goes to the run itself, not Because of Ezra) we’ll have active wear t-shirts printed with our logo and the run date. They’ll be very close to last years (photos in the blog post), with a large Because of Ezra logo on the front and “I run to cure neuroblastoma.” underneath. Register for the race at tampabayrun.com, and when you are completing your registration the site will ask if you are running for a charity partner and if you’d like to give any extra, to that partner. Choose Because of Ezra from the drop-down, and give $25 or over (per runner) to get a t-shirt! Note: you’ll need to contact us letting us know you signed up, and your tshirt size so we can get them all ordered. 

Don’t worry if you haven’t run in a while – with over 15,000 people participating in the 5k alone (3.1 miles); there’s tons of different paces. Thousands of people walk the whole thing, and whether you’re a tried and true runner, a jogger, or a walker, you can come out for a great exercise and support a great cause.

http://www.tampabayrun.com/

2nd Annual Because of Ezra Benefit Ride

$20 TICKETS • 9AM REGISTRATION • 10:30AM KICK STANDS UP

4 STOP POKER RUN from GRACE FAMILY CHURCH to HARLEY DAVIDSON of NEW PORT RICHEY WITH FOOD, DJ, RAFFLES, SILENT AUCTIONS, GAMES, AND VENDORS!

The 2nd annual Because of Ezra Benefit ride, in cooperation with Riders of Grace, will be held on Saturday, May 19th, 2012 from 9AM – 4PM. There’s plenty to do for riders, non-riders, and kids! So come on out… if you’re not riding, you can meet us at the New Port Richey Harley Davidson at around 12:30 for food, music, games, and more!

9AM Registration at Grace Family Church • 5101 Van Dyke Road, Lutz, FL 33558-4830.

For info call GOOCH at (813)334-8487 or email RidersOfGrace@gmail.com. Friend Riders of Grace on Facebook: GFC RIDERSofGRACE and Because of Ezra at Facebook.com/becauseofezra.