It’s the season of giving. The holiday season is about celebrations and family, but also about giving back to your community and those that need it most! We’ve worked with many local non-profits around the area, who have done so much to serve our communities. One of them that’s been near and dear to our hearts is The Brodie Fund. They offer financial assistance, through grants, to families who have pets fighting cancer. Trust us, there’s a lot of say about the gift of time — especially during hardships like this.
Since the ongoing pandemic has made it difficult for many organizations to host events, including The Brodie Fund, which last held its big fundraiser event back in March right before the mandatory stay-at-home order, many needed to think outside of the box. Although, there were a couple of events that the group participated in the last couple of months that have helped out. However, given the environment we’re in and needing to remain socially distanced, in-person events have been canceled, which is the lifeblood of any non-profit.
And that’s what brings us to The Brodie Fund. The incredible thing about The Brodie Fund, besides the obvious, is the fact that 100% of funds they raise go to pets fighting cancer! For the holiday season, the non-profit introduced its Marlin & Haole Giving Tree fundraiser in honor of 2 pets who gained their wings this year after long battles with cancer. It’s certainly been a huge success since launching on December 1, with Sally Williams, founder and director of The Brodie Fund, hosting nightly video updates online through social media.
What’s interesting is how the idea came about. For those that don’t know, Katie (one of Red Bank Pulse’s co-founders), said goodbye to her beautiful Golden Retriever, Tamela, after a brief battle with cancer in September 2018. One late night of social media surfing and subsequent google searches, an email exchange and the idea of a virtual giving tree was born between Katie and Sally.
Since then, Sally has taken the idea an ran with it! From commemorating the tree to her beloved Marlin, who bravely battled cancer before gaining his wings this year and his fellow cancer warrior, Haole (who also bravely battled cancer and gained his wings this year), to reading the names the star ornaments are in memory of, and live-streaming the reading of the names each night at 9 p.m. EST, it has become one of Katie’s nightly routines for the month of December.
So far, there’s been immense support for the fundraiser, but there’s still time for you to donate. “The Marlin & Haole Giving Tree benefiting The Brodie Fund will give the gift of time to pets fighting cancer. Marlin and Haole are our 2 Brodie Fund ambassadors who lost their fights to cancer this summer. This tree is not only honoring them, but honoring every name on the tree,” explains Williams in an email exchange with us.
“With a minimum donation of $10 we place a star on the tree that has the name written on it. This name can be honoring a pet or a person you love. It can be in honor or in memory,” Williams goes on to say. “Every night we share a video on The Brodie Fund Instagram and Facebook pages, 9 p.m. EST, and we read each name as we hang on the tree. It’s a beautiful celebration and the beginning of a new tradition at The Brodie Fund.”
If you’re interested in donating to the giving tree, you’ll want to visit the link below and click the one time donation and fill out the required information. Then type the name for your star in the grey box.
source: The Brodie Fund
