Every September, our family (along with families across the United States) sets on a month long campaign to spread awareness and raise money in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The campaign is called Fluttering and we've done it every year since Unravel started this annual event. This is our fourth year. Fluttering involves our family packing up all 3 kids and two parents into the car and going to put 12 beautiful dragonfly lawn ornaments on someone’s lawn along with an envelope with information on Unravel Pediatric Cancer. Sometimes we go to a friend’s house. Sometimes we end up at a stranger’s house referred to by our friends. It can be nerve wracking but we trek on because the cause is near to our hearts. We do this every single night in September.
There are days and nights we get discouraged or tired but we try to keep the reason why we started Fluttering in mind. Four years ago, my friend Libby lost her daughter Jennifer to brain cancer at the age of 6. I cannot fathom the pain and heartache she endured. Yet from her drive to help others, she founded Unravel Pediatric Cancer and she came up with this campaign. Last year, I lost one of the little boys I used to teach to Leukemia. Tyler was only 12. This year, we Flutter for Daisy who has been fighting cancer for since 2013 and will be turning 11 on Sept 27. She’s spent over 1/3 of her life battling cancer.
Fluttering is an amazing way for our family to feel like we can make a small impact to help children across the nation who are fighting cancer. We know we need a cure and we know we can’t do it alone. Through the houses we Flutter, our big Fluttering the community event, and social media sharing, we try to raise money and awareness. Each year, we’ve increased our fundraising goal. This year, we hope to raise $2000. Now, when you walk through Elk Grove and see the Unravel Fluttering sign with the dragonflies, you will know that they are a part of something big.
To get involved:
Join our Fluttering the Community event on Sept 9: https://www.facebook.com/events/1814639185342450
Donate online: https://fluttering-2017.everydayhero.com/us/the-newell-family
