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]]>Mark your calendar NOW so you don’t miss our 21ST Anniversary Gala Event and Fundraiser dinner on Saturday, April 13, 2024. We are very excited to be planning this event and hope you will be able to participate in the fun.
We have again reserved the beautiful Palos Country Club to host our event. We’re planning a delicious dinner, great entertainment, and an amazing array of raffle prizes. Our slightly shortened format last year was popular, so we will repeat that. Cocktails will be from 6:00 to 6:45 pm, dinner 6:45 to 7:45, dancing from 8 to about 9:15 pm and raffle drawings beginning at 9:15 pm. This should let us conclude the evening by approximately 10 pm.
Music will be provided by Joe & Aileen, the fantastic DJs who have entertained us before.
Feel free to invite your family and friends (adults only). If you have attended previously, please come back. If you have never attended, or haven’t attended in a while, this is a great opportunity to enjoy a fun evening out while supporting a very worthy cause.
For more information, or to add someone to the invite list, just email us at [email protected]. We hope to see you in April.
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]]>The post Newsletter 40 appeared first on The Gene Roman Family Foundation.
]]>Mark your calendar NOW so you don’t miss our 21ST Anniversary Gala Event and
Fundraiser dinner on Saturday, April 13, 2024.
We are excited to be planning this event and hope you will be able to
participate in the fun.
We have again reserved the beautiful Palos Country Club to
host our event. We’re planning a
delicious dinner, great entertainment, and an amazing array of raffle prizes. Our slightly shortened format last year was
popular, so we will repeat that.
Cocktails will be from 6:00 to 6:45 pm, dinner 6:45 to 7:45, dancing
from 8 to about 9:15 and raffle drawings beginning at 9:15. This should let us
conclude the evening by approximately 10 pm.
Music will be provided by Joe & Aileen, the fantastic
DJs who have entertained us before.
Feel free to invite your family and friends (adults
only). If you have attended previously,
please come back. If you have never
attended, or haven’t attended in a while, this is a great opportunity to enjoy
a fun evening out while supporting a very worthy cause.
For more information, or to add someone to the invite list,
just email us at [email protected].
We hope to see you in April.
November 28 is
Giving Tuesday, an annual global celebration that follows Black Friday and
Cyber Monday. The intent of the event is
to shift the focus during the holidays to giving back.
We appreciate
our loyal supporters and hesitate to ask for more help. However, if you participate in Giving
Tuesday, we hope that you will consider making a donation to the Gene Roman
Foundation. This has been our busiest
year ever and we are trying to stretch our funds to help as many people as
possible. We have helped so many people
we don’t even have room to list them all in this newsletter! As of this printing, we have assisted 120
individual cancer patients, from age 9 to age 99, since the beginning of the
year.
However you
chose to support us, through your donations and through your prayers, we
definitely appreciate it. May God bless
you during these seasons of Thanksgiving and celebrating our Savior’s birth.
Since our May newsletter, we have:
We have received donations:
In loving memory of Gene Roman, from Susan & Jeff Phillips
In loving memory of Konstantinos Gountounas, from Sandy & Jimmy Wolframski
In loving memory of Don Kaminsky, from Sandy & Jimmy Wolframski
In loving memory of Carrie Morgan, from Donna Ford
In loving memory of Tommy Schuman, from Sandy & Jimmy Wolframski
In loving memory of Len Wiencek, from Jane & John Kurecki
In loving memory of Len Wiencek, from Sandie & Al Peccia
In loving memory of Len Wiencek, from Cindy & Jay Hill
In loving memory of Len Wiencek, from Lisa & Rob Slovin
In loving memory of Len Wiencek, from Angela & Mike Isbell
In loving memory of Len Wiencek, from Julie Slauterbeck
In loving memory of Len Wiencek, from Michele Roman
In loving memory of Len Wiencek, from Abercrombie & Kent USA
In loving memory of Len Wiencek, from Janice & Thomas Barr
In loving memory of Len Wiencek, from Pheasant Lakes Townhome Association
In loving memory of Len Wiencek, from Lenore Wiencek
In loving memory of Len Wiencek, from Judy & Tom White
In loving memory of Len Wiencek, from Karen Roman
In honor of Sandie Peccia’s 75th birthday, from Maria & Mike Peccia
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]]>The post Newsletter 39 appeared first on The Gene Roman Family Foundation.
]]>May 2023
Oh What a Night!
We were excited to celebrate our 20th Anniversary at the beautiful Palos Country Club. One hundred sixty-four
people joined us for a wonderful evening which included drinks, dinner, dancing, entertainment, and an amazing array of raffle prizes. When Gene was diagnosed in 2003, one of his very first thoughts was to find a way to help cancer patients who were struggling financially because of their disease. As we explored ways to do that and went about setting up the foundation, I really don’t believe we thought ahead 20
years. We just wanted to do something to help. THIS is beyond our wildest dreams!
After cocktail hour and a delicious dinner, entertainment and dance music was provided by Frank Rossi and Michael Vittori. Drawing of the raffle prize winners ended the evening on a happy note,
and feedback we’ve received tells us that everyone had a great time.
Our annual Gala Event is our major source of fundraising for the year. We are happy to report that this year’s event raised $31,500. Thank you to everyone who attended and/or supported our fundraiser.
This has been our busiest year ever—since our last dinner we have helped over 100 people with various
needs. Some are listed in this newsletter. Over the past 20 years, almost half a million dollars has been distributed to over 725 cancer patients. We can only do this because of YOU—thank you for your support.
We’re looking forward to our next event. We’ll keep you posted as soon as details are available. In the meantime, watch your email, or check our Facebook page or our website, www.generoman.org,
to see what we’re doing.
Thank You!
Thank you to the following
businesses who so generously donated prizes to support our 2022 raffle. PLEASE utilize these businesses whenever you
need any of the services or products they offer. If you need further contact information,
please email us at [email protected].
We’ll be happy to put you in touch with our generous donors.
Accelerate Indoor Speedway,
Ambrosino’s Italian Market, Arrenello’s Pizza, Aurelio’s Pizza Frankfort,
Aurelio’s Pizza Mokena, Beggar’s Pizza, Berkot’s Super Foods, Bob’s Discount
Furniture, Bonefish Grill, Capri Ristorante, Chicago Bears, Chicago White
Sox, Chicago Wolves, Chipotle, Cooper’s
Hawk, Culver’s, E. Formella & Sons, EggHeadz, Enrico’s Italian Dining,
Famous Dave’s, Fleckenstein’s Bakery, Fred Astaire Dance Studio, Gatto’s
Italian Restaurant, Golden Shoes,
Heinie’s McCarthy’s, Hinsdale Nurseries,
Joffery Ballet, Joliet Slammers, Lume’s Pancake House, Marriott
Lincolnshire Theater, Miller’s Ale House, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Original Pancake
House, Park West Gallery, Raffy’s Candy Store, Royal Salt Cave, Sorriso’s
Ristorante, Target Orland Park, Together We Cope, Whitmore Ace Hardware, Zap!
Taco.
Thank
you to the following individuals for their prize donations: Gerry & Alex Berzins, Ursula Buchnat, Donna & Tom Delso, Diane & Glenn
Eiden, Mike Feminis, Chris & Joe Feminis, Angela & Mike Isbell, Sherry
& Dennis Jones, Kim & Bob Martino , Al & Sandie Peccia, Susan &
Jeff Phillips, Michele Roman, Jen & Karl Schissler, Lisa & Rob Slovin,
Sandy & Jim Stanek, Judy & Tom White, Lenore & Len Wiencek.
Since our November newsletter, we have:
We have received donations:
Our annual event is a major source of fundraising, and a lot of people are involved to make it happen. Volunteers do things like solicit prizes, set up, sell tickets, hand out raffle prizes, conduct the raffle, take photos, maintain our website, and send out invitations and thank you letters. Thank you to Gerry Berzins, Alex Berzins, Joe Cannon, Lori Greene, Cindy Hill, Emily Hill, Jay Hill, Nick Hill, Amanda Isbell, Angela Isbell, Samantha Isbell, Ron Kotas, Joy Kucharski, Shamus McCarthy, Al Peccia, Michele Roman, Jenny Schissler, Lisa Slovin, Rob Slovin, Lenore Wiencek, and Jimmy Wolframski
Thank you Essendant Charitable Foundation for their generous contribution. Essendant has been a long-time contributor to the Foundation and we appreciate their support. Thank you to Debbie Young for nominating the Foundation to receive this grant.
Thank you to Thrivent Financial for their generous contribution. Thank you to Eileen & Paul Lindgren for nominating the Foundation to receive this grant.
Thank you to Amanda Isbell who made commemorative cancer bracelets and sold them at the fundraiser. She raised $186 for the foundation! Thanks to everyone who purchased bracelets.
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]]>The post Newsletter 38 appeared first on The Gene Roman Family Foundation.
]]>November 2022
Mark your calendar NOW so you don’t miss our 20TH Anniversary Gala Event and Fundraiser dinner on Saturday, April 22, 2023. We are very excited to be celebrating our 20th anniversary and hope you will be able to participate in the fun.
We have again reserved the beautiful Palos Country Club to host our event. We’re planning a delicious dinner, great entertainment, and an amazing array of raffle prizes. Due to popular demand, we have shortened the format slightly this year. Cocktails will be from 6:00 to 6:45 pm, dinner 6:45 to 7:45, entertainment from 8 to 9 pm and raffle drawings beginning at 9:00 pm. This should let us conclude the evening by approximately 10 pm.
This year, we will have the fabulous Frank Rossi on keyboard, accordion and vocals for our entertainment. Frank performs all over Chicagoland sharing his show biz entertaining style shows to audiences of all ages.
Feel free to invite your family and friends (adults only). If you have attended previously, please come back. If you have never attended, or haven’t attended in a while, this is a great opportunity to enjoy a fun evening out while supporting a very worthy cause.
For more information, or to add someone to the invite list, just email us at [email protected]. We hope to see you in April.
Since our May newsletter, we have:
We have received donations:
If you are considering a charitable gift for either Giving Tuesday, (November 29) or an end-of-year gift, we would love to have your donation! You can also make your gift in memory of someone, or in honor of a person or an occasion, such as a birthday, anniversary, graduation, etc. Please send your contribution to: The Gene Roman Family Foundation, 12250 Foxborough Drive, Mokena, IL 60448.
Be sure to indicate in whose memory/honor you are donating, and the occasion if appropriate. Let us know to whom we should send a card, letting them know a gift has been made. We’ll take care of the rest—and we’ll put the gift to good use.
Donations are always tax deductible and are welcomed at any time of the year. Thank you!
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the recent FUNDrive and especially to Jenny Schissler and her family who planned, organized, and managed the project. She raised over $400 for The Gene Roman Foundation by collecting clothing and household goods for the Savers store in Orland Park. When she delivered it to them, they sent a check to the Foundation. THANK YOU!!
Always, but especially at this time of year as we approach the holidays, we remember in prayer those who are battling cancer and the families of those who have succumbed to the disease. May God bless each and every one.
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]]>The post Newsletter 37 appeared first on The Gene Roman Family Foundation.
]]>May 2022
We were excited to finally be able to gather for our annual event! This year, we celebrated our 19th Anniversary at the beautiful Palos Country Club. Nearly 170 people joined us for a wonderful evening which included drinks, dinner, dancing, entertainment, and an amazing array of raffle prizes.
After cocktail hour and a delicious dinner, entertainment was provided by Joe “Elvis” Tirrito. For a while, it was as though the King of Rock and Roll was in the room with us. Following the Elvis show, Joe and Aileen provided great music for dancing. Drawing of the raffle prize winners ended the evening on a happy note, and feedback we’ve received tells us that everyone had a great time.
After canceling our 2020 and 2021 events because of the pandemic, it was amazing to be together again. An excerpt from the Welcome address says it all:
“Covid changed our lives – in some ways forever. But one thing Covid could not change is the loyal support we have from you. We were worried when we cancelled our 2020 dinner. We didn’t know how long our funds would last or how soon we would have to turn away cancer patients who needed help. We were really worried when we cancelled our 2021 dinner. But you came through – checks continued to arrive in the mail and we are humbled and awed that we did not have to turn away any requests because of lack of funding. You continued to believe in what we do, and continued to support us, and for that we are so grateful that we don’t even know words to express how we feel. Thank you doesn’t seem like enough. But we do thank you. We were worried when we planned the dinner. We didn’t if people would be ready to attend. But here we are – 170 of us – again, thank you!!”
Our annual Gala is our major source of fundraising for the year. We are happy to report that this year’s event raised $22,700. Thank you to everyone who attended and/or supported our fundraiser.
We are glad that we have been able to continue to help cancer patients during these uncertain times. In the past 19 years, we have helped over 600 individual patients and distributed over $420,000. We help cancer patients who can’t afford their daily expenses during treatment. Most of these people are desperate. There are many circumstances that cause their problems and not many sources for the kind of help we provide.
We’re looking forward to our next event, which will celebrate our 20th anniversary! We’ll keep you posted as soon as details are available. In the meantime, watch your email, or check our Facebook page or our website, www.generoman.org, to see what we’re doing.
Since our November newsletter, we have:
· Paid rent and electric for a 44-year-old single mom with cervical cancer
· Paid gas bill for a 45-year-old woman with cervical cancer
· Helped with mortgage for a 49-year-old woman with breast cancer
· Paid rent for a 53-year-old man with cancer of the lip
· Paid rent for a 48-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer
· Paid gas and electric bills for a 19-year-old man with lymphoma
· Paid rent and electric bills for a 50-year-old woman with breast cancer
· Paid car payment and utilities for a 60-year-old man with esophageal cancer
· >Helped with utilities and rent for a 39-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer
· Paid rent and electric bill for a 58-year-old man with skin cancer
· Paid gas and electric bills for a 69-year-old man with lung cancer
· Helped with groceries for a 60-year-old man with lung cancer
· Helped with gas bill and groceries for a 51-year-old man with AML
· Paid mortgage for a 42-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer
· Helped with groceries and utilities for a 65-year-old man with throat cancer
· Paid water bill and car payment for a 40-year-old man with lung cancer
· Paid gas and electric bills for a 48-year-old man with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
· Paid rent for a 60-year-old woman with breast cancer
· Paid mortgage for a 63-year-old woman with ovarian cancer
· Paid utilities for a 58-year-old woman with lung cancer
· Made a car payment for a 31-year-old woman with thyroid cancer
· Paid phone bill for a 42-year-old single mom with uterine cancer
· Paid mortgage for a 52-year-old man with multiple myeloma
· Paid rent for a 33-year-old woman with endometrial cancer
· Made a car payment for a 43-year-old woman with CLL
· Paid utilities and groceries for a 53-year-old woman with breast cancer
· Paid rent for a 48-year-old woman with multiple myeloma
· Made a car payment for a 48-year-old woman with AML
· Helped with groceries for a 46-year-old man with pancreatic cancer
· Helped with rent, phone, and transportation costs for a 51-year-old woman with breast cancer
· Paid for Ensure for a 54-year-old woman with leiomysarcoma
· Paid gas bill for a 67-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer
Our annual event is a major source of fundraising, and a lot of people are involved to make it happen. Volunteers do things like solicit prizes, set up, sell tickets, hand out raffle prizes, conduct the raffle, take photos, maintain our website, and send out invitations and thank you letters. Thank you to Gerry Berzins, Alex Berzins, Joe Cannon, Cindy Hill, Emily Hill, Jay Hill, Amanda Isbell, Angela Isbell, Samantha Isbell, Ron Kotas, Joy Kucharski, Al Peccia, John Peccia, Michele Roman, Jenny Schissler, Lisa Slovin, Rob Slovin, Lenore Wiencek, Jimmy Wolframski.
Again this year, we thank Let’s Polka U.S.A. Club for their generous contribution. Thank you also to Bernie Locke and Theresa Bolf, Polka Club members and longtime Foundation supporters, for nominating the Foundation to receive the club’s annual charitable donation.
Thank you to the following businesses who so generously donated prizes to support our 2022 raffle. PLEASE utilize these businesses whenever you need any of the services or products they offer. If you need further contact information, please email us at [email protected]. We’ll be happy to put you in touch.
Thank you to the following individuals for their prize donations:
Thank you Essendant Foundation
Thank you to Essendant Charitable Foundation for their generous contribution. Essendant has been a long-time contributor to the Foundation and we appreciate their support. Thank you to Debbie Young for nominating the Foundation to receive this grant.
In Loving Memory
We have received donations:
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]]>The post Newsletter 36 appeared first on The Gene Roman Family Foundation.
]]>Mark your calendar NOW so you don’t miss our Annual Gala Event and Fundraiser dinner on Saturday, April 9, 2022. After having to cancel two annual events due to the Covid pandemic, we are very excited to be planning a gala for 2022.
We have once again reserved the beautiful Palos Country Club to host our dinner. They did a wonderful job for us at our last event in 2019 and we are looking forward to another great evening. We’ve rebooked our popular ELVIS show featuring Joe Elvis Torrito, with Joe and Aileen also providing DJ services.
Please plan to join us for a delicious dinner, fabulous entertainment, and an amazing array of raffle prizes.
Before our last dinner, we appealed to you, our supporters, to help us increase attendance. We had a record 256 people
at that dinner. Let’s do that again! Invite your family and friends (adults only). If you attended last time, please come back. If you have never attended, or haven’t attended in a while, this is a great opportunity to enjoy a fun evening out while supporting a very worthy cause.
We are so grateful to everyone who supports us—whether attending the dinner or sending contributions. We could not do what we do without you. We’re overwhelmed with the support we have received during the pandemic and are proud to say we have been able to continue to help cancer patients in spite of desperate circumstances.
For more information, or to add someone to the invite list, just email us at ro[email protected]m. We hope to see you in April.
Since our May newsletter, we have:
· Paid water bill for a 56-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer
· Paid phone bill, car insurance, and health insurance for a 55-year-old woman with multiple myeloma
· Paid car payment and car insurance for a 25-year-old woman with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
· Paid for gas and kids’ clothes for a 44-year-old single mother with thyroid cancer
· Helped with rent for a 40-year-old single mother with breast cancer
· Paid car payment for a 43-year-old woman with rectal cancer
· Paid for Ensure and groceries for a 60-year-old man with Stage IV renal cancer
· Paid rent for a 48-year-old man with multiple myeloma
· Paid rent for a 59-year-old woman with multiple myeloma
· Paid rent for a 61-year-old woman with multiple myeloma
· Paid car payment for a 62-year-old woman with multiple myeloma
· Helped with transportation, health insurance, electric, and groceries for a 70-year-old widow with endometrioid uterine cancer
· Paid phone bill and car payment for a 54-year-old woman with metastatic adenocarcinoma
· Paid rent for a 64-year-old woman with CLL and breast cancer
· Helped with rent and transportation for a 46-year-old man with lymphoma
· Paid rent for a 61-year-old woman with invasive ductal carcinoma
· Paid utility bills for a 51-year-old man with lung cancer
· Paid rent for a 43-year-old man with pancreatic cancer
· Helped with mortgage for a 68-year-old man with B—Cell ALL
· Paid car payment for a 57-year-old man with multiple myeloma
Excerpts from some of the notes we’ve received from people we have helped:
“I wanted to say thank you for your generosity. It helped me tremendously. You are a blessing to cancer patients and their families. We are so grateful!”
“Your mission statement shows that you are a caring and giving organization. My hope is that your mission continues to serve and assist others as you did for me and again, THANK YOU. Thank you from all the cancer patients you assisted over the years and keep the dream alive with God’s help. I pray The Gene Roman Family Foundation continues to grow, service, and assist financially for decades to come.”
“It is with your help that my daughter and I are pushing through. Thank you for caring, thank you for sharing, thank you for helping us.”
Market Day has been the premier fundraising partner for schools and non-profit organizations for over 30 years. We are excited to announce that we are now registered with Market Day to receive a donation for each order placed with the Foundation selected.
It’s easy to sign up. Just go to www.marketdaylocal.com and register. Confirm that Market Day is available in your state, then you will see a red box that says “Select an Organization.” Type in The Gene Roman Family Foundation” and complete your registration.
They have a great selection of delicious food and they ship directly to you. This is an easy way to shop and support the Foundation. If you try it—let us know your favorite products on our Facebook page.
THANK YOU!
We have received donations:
Just a reminder—if you know of someone with cancer who is struggling financially and you think the Foundation might be able to help them, please let us know. E-mail us at [email protected], contact us by phone 708-606-1449 or regular mail, 12250 Foxborough Drive, Mokena, IL 60448.
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]]>The post Newsletter 35 appeared first on The Gene Roman Family Foundation.
]]>Like everyone else, we at the GRFF have been experiencing lots of changes also. Our biggest change, of course, is that we have not been able to hold a Fundraiser dinner for the past two years. We really miss seeing all of you and hope you are doing well.
We are extremely grateful for the loyal supporters who have continued to send donations. There is no way we could have survived without your help. Thank you so very much.
One thing that hasn’t changed is that we still get requests for help from cancer patients who are in financial trouble. A lot of our referrals come from nurses and social workers at various local hospitals.
Another change is in the number of referrals. Some places that refer to us have been sending less referrals, some have been sending more. We’re not sure why this is, but we are thrilled that we have been able to keep up with requests and help people who so desperately need assistance.
We have unfortunately seen some of the businesses that have supported us through the years close, and we have sadly lost some of our supporters to Covid and other issues. We grieve for them.
We don’t know what the future holds, but we will continue to help cancer patients as long as we have funds. Again, we thank you for supporting us during these unusual times.
Many of you know this story, but for those who don’t, here is how it all started.
In March of 2003, Gene Roman was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Although his prognosis was grim, his attitude was positive and he was determined to fight his disease. Shortly after beginning his chemotherapy treatments, he realized what a financial burden a life-threatening illness could be on persons and families with limited incomes. In keeping with the kind of person he was, he decided that there had to be a way to provide some kind of help directly to these people. Thus began Gene’s dream and his final legacy—The Gene Roman Family Foundation. The Foundation was officially incorporated on April 25, 2003. The First Annual Fundraiser Dinner was held in June of 2003. At the Second Annual Fundraiser Dinner, on April 23, 2004, Gene’s 57th birthday, the ravages of Gene’s disease were obvious, yet he was there, greeting his family and friends and promoting his beloved Foundation. He was determined to attend that dinner to celebrate his birthday and personally thank the Foundation’s supporters.
Three short weeks later, God called Gene home. Despite an original prognosis of less than three months, he lived fourteen months after his diagnosis.
Eighteen years after Gene’s original idea, we have helped over 570 individual cancer patients who were struggling with their finances. We believe Gene would be proud of his legacy.
Since our special edition newsletter published in February, we have:
We have received donations:
In the midst of this pandemic, our wish for you is that you are able to find things that bring you joy. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduations, communions, birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, confirmations, baptisms, retirement, weddings—any occasion that brings happiness.
We rejoice with those who are celebrating and we pray for those who have experienced loss or sadness.
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