Called to Action

Roth Family & Friends fundraisers

For the eighth year in a row, the Roth family of Stevens Point continues to improve upon their past success in raising funds for multiple sclerosis research at Marshfield Clinic. The eighth annual MS golf outing and MS bike run "Peddle for a Cure" were once again a huge success.

Peddle for a Cure, now organized by Kathy Pliska and family, raised more than $8,000 and included a bike run beginning at The Bar, raffles, door prizes and a pot luck lunch. The golf outing was another amazing afternoon filled with many of the people who have supported this cause from the beginning.

"The people who donate to this cause are all connected in some way," said Nancy Roth-Mallek, who began these events with her siblings Gary, Dan and Bonnie. "They are good people with huge hearts and tons of compassion."

HOPE Raffle and Craft Show

A total of 47 baskets or items were donated for this year's Hope Fund raffle, including electronic readers, fitness gear, sleigh ride, gift card packages and many more unique and exciting items. The raffle generated $10,047 for the HOPE Fund, bringing the total to nearly $60,000.

The HOPE Fund supports Marshfield Clinic employees in times of hardship. Assistance is available through this fund to help employees from all centers experiencing financial difficulty due to illness, family crisis or other unanticipated time away from work. 

A committee of volunteer employees reviews requests and grants funding to those in need. The HOPE Fund Committee, led by Denise Kann and including past and present employees Betty Horn, Mary Bjarnason, Barb Adler, Bonnie Myers, Jerri Anne Ovaska and Bernice Mercer, spent countless volunteer hours organizing the annual basket raffle and craft show. Departments from across the Clinic system donated incredible themed baskets and items for the raffle. 

A&B Employee Drive

Representatives of A & B Process Systems, along with Development Officer Matt Faber, deliver donated items to the Clinic.

A&B Process Systems of Stratford held an employee drive to collect items to be used by pediatric patients in several departments across the Marshfield Clinic system. Items included toys, puzzles, treasure chest goodies, headbands/hair accessories, gloves, DVDs and personal care items, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand sanitizers, little packs of Kleenex, soap and much more.

Courage Capes

Donna Fetting, physical therapist at Marshfield Clinic, and Kris Federwitz, teacher at Edgar Middle School, partnered to create Courage Capes.

Donna Fetting and her son Will delivered a courage cape to pediatric oncology patient Wyatt Olivotti.

Along with friends, family and students, Fetting and Federwitz collected donations for material and spent a Saturday afternoon sewing personalized capes for children undergoing long-term medical treatments. The capes were delivered to the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology department in Marshfield and will be given to each patient at their upcoming appointments.

Caption: Donna Fetting and her son Will delivered a courage cape to pediatric oncology patient Wyatt Olivotti.

Wrap it for Will

Pediatric Oncology Nurse Brenda Garrigan and Will Krause.

The holidays can be a hard time for families touched by childhood cancer. Traveling great distances for treatments means time away from family and friends, along with added expenses like gas and lodging.

For the second year in a row, the Krause Family collected gas cards for families who have a child undergoing cancer treatment at Marshfield Clinic. Dave and Becky Krause can closely relate to these families, as their son, Will, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2012.

Other members of the Krause family are also doing their part. Will's cousin Jacob Tracy made scarves and sold them at his school to raise money for the Krause Family Pediatric Cancer Angel Fund.

Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink attendees enjoyed an evening with art and Elvis.

Hosted by The Pink Ladies, the Birnamwood American Legion Auxiliary, and the WOW, Inc., Pretty in Pink was designed as a women's only breast health awareness event.

The sold-out event featured an Artful Bra auction, pink champagne, hors d'ouevres, and an Elvis impersonator. Nearly $10,000 was raised at this inaugural event benefiting Marshfield Clinic Cancer Care in Weston.

Pink the Rink

The Marshfield Girls Hockey team "Pinked" the Rink and raised more than $1,700 to support Women Living with Hope, a Marshfield Clinic support group for women living with breast cancer.

The team organized raffle prizes, held a coach's shoot-out, received cash donations and sold paper hockey sticks to display the names of loved ones living with cancer. The coaches had to dress in pink and the more money that was raised, the more pink they had to wear.

Bowl for Treyden's Cabin

Denise Kann and Amanda Powell, both Marshfield Clinic employees, knew they wanted to support Treyden's Cabin long before the $50,000 goal was reached.

Their event, Bowl for Treyden's Cabin, was held on January 18 in Rozellville.  Attracting families and bowling enthusiasts, the event raised more than $1,000 to support the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology waiting room transformation. 

Stick it to Cancer

For the past two years, the Lincoln High School Boys Hockey Program in Wisconsin Rapids has organized Stick it to Cancer – a fundraiser for Marshfield Clinic and UW Riverview Cancer Centers.

By selling Stick it to Cancer t-shirts, wristbands, 50/50 raffle tickets, bracelets and dozens of cookies, they've raised nearly $7,500.

The team has had several families throughout the years that have been affected by cancer. Stick it to Cancer is a way of honoring those they have lost and celebrating those who have beaten it.

Winter Fest

Winterfest bikers brave the cold and snow to benefit childhood cancer care.

This year's winter got a little long in Wisconsin. But with the help of Kevin "Tiny" Michalski at Greater Insurance Service and Jay and Jill Holm of RiverEdge Golf Course, the season became a bit more fun on February 22.

Geared towards families, Winter Fest aimed to highlight all the perks of the colder months by featuring a 5K cross country skiing, snowshoe, and fat tire bike race, along with a one mile course for junior racers. 

After the races, participants warmed up with a chili feed and enjoyed some live music provided by G Man and Boogie and the Yo-Yo'z.  Through the support of more than 100 participants and many volunteers, Winter Fest raised nearly $8,000 to support Marshfield Clinic's Pediatric Hematology/Oncology department.

Merrill High School Basketball Breast Cancer Awareness Night

The Merrill High School Basketball teams understand the importance of giving back. Melissa Yuska, girls' varsity head coach, helped both the girls and boys teams raise $1,400 through their annual breast cancer awareness night.

The games held even more meaning for the students this year than in the past as they were played in honor of Susan Jaeger, a beloved Merrill High School teacher and her ongoing courageous battle with breast cancer. Gifts from this event support cancer care in Wausau and Weston.

Strike Out Cancer Bowling Tournament

In February, the Eagle Lanes "Ladies Night Out" bowling league in Eagle River, Wis., organized their tenth annual bowling tournament to increase awareness of breast cancer and raise funding to support cancer care programs in the northwoods.

This year, the group raised nearly $10,000. The breast cancer cause is very personal to the "Ladies Night Out" league, as many of their members have either battled breast cancer themselves or have loved ones who are survivors. Each year, families, local businesses, and community members bowl to show their support and reflect on the Strike Out Cancer theme – "Everyone Deserves a Lifetime."

Big or Small Walk

Sixty walkers headed through the covered bridge near Cedar Creek Mall for the Big or Small Walk to benefit the Wausau/Weston Cancer Care Fund at Marshfield Clinic.

 

Sam Kilgas, owner of The Bar of Wausau, created the Big or Small Walk to benefit the Wausau/Weston Cancer Care Fund at Marshfield Clinic. With the help of staff members and friends, the walk brought together more than 60 walkers, a number they hope to grow in future years. The event also included a raffle, acoustic show, and dinner at The Bar. The staff sold t-shirts, pink ribbons, and bracelets, which, along with the walk registrations, helped to raise more than $3,000. 

"We started the event because we wanted to give back to our communities and we know that we have the platform to do it," said Kilgas. "Many people we know have been affected by some form of cancer, but most of them don't have the means or the time to put together a charity event. We do this for those who can't."

Katherine's Wish

Katherine (Katie) Rhoten of Eau Claire recently donated more than 650 new toys to children needing comfort while going through medical care at Marshfield Clinic.  These toys will be shared between pediatrics specialties in Marshfield and centers in west and northwest Wisconsin.

"Katherine's Wish" is a promise kept by Rhoten, 14. In January of 2008, Katie was with her family at Walt Disney World when she was rushed by ambulance to a children's hospital in Orlando. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and was just hours away from going into a diabetic coma.

The pain of this experience was lessened because each time Katie had a poke or procedure, she was given a stuffed animal to ease the pain and distract her. She vowed, while still in her intensive care unit bed, that when she was better, she would help other children who were sick and scared. She has kept her word. Over the past five years, Katherine's Wish has donated more than 2,000 toys in Eau Claire, Chippewa, Dunn, Barron, and Rusk Counties.