Twilight Walk Recap

Whew! What a whirlwind the past two weeks have been! So many details and so much goodness pouring into last Saturday's big event.

And ... then there was the weather. Despite the thundershowers early Saturday morning, we were VERY blessed to have a cloudy but dry set-up. So grateful that our silent auction was under tents (Thanks, Coleman!). However, the threat of rain was ever-looming. We had everyone checking on their phones, watching the weather maps (Thanks, Andi!) and trying to figure out what to do. Luckily, we had use of the old Bishop Carroll gym (Thanks, Larry!). It's not a large space; we couldn't all fit and do our laps in there by any means. What to do?

Around 4:30 p.m., we could see the skies lighten and the sun warm over the track. You could see the bright spot coming from the south-west. And according to Andi's phone, you could also expect a big blob of rain right behind the clear spot. So, 20 minutes before the event was to start, we moved the entire silent auction--something that had taken hours to set up (Thanks, Andover Central Girls Softball Team, Andi, Candy, Steph, Fred, Anissa, Amy, Wendy, Lacie, Susan, Britany, Robin, Ryan, Nate, Mandi, Manny, Jordan, Gary, JR and BCHS NHS!) into the old gym! And while it wasn't our first choice, it turn out to be the right choice. We also moved the projector and video show to the gym.

We went to plan B with Accent Mobile Music (Thanks, Cathy!) where the board was set up in the gym and music was played outside from the PA in the press box. That meant that our KZSN emcee (Thanks, Chase!) had to announce from the press box, and that our live music by Logan Sorenson (Thanks, Logan!) had to play in the press box, too. Logan sounded GREAT!!! It actually turned out to be fun to hear "official" play-by-play announcing during the kids' races. ;)

The games were busy (Thanks, Rita and team!),

the massage tent was busy (Thanks, Jodi and Heritage College! I'll try again next year!),

Dorothy was a delight (Thanks, Susan!),

registration was busy (Thanks, Robin, Terry and Samantha!),

concessions were busy (Thanks, Leah, Derek, Darcie, Branigan, Andrea, Todd, Gary, Donna, Norma, Susan, Farmland, Cargill, Pepsi Bottling Company, Art's & Mary's and Dillon's!)

Along with the Wilkinson family, the top fundraising team also led the big crowd around the track: M&M Kids for Kyrie!!!!!!! The brother & sister power team raised over $800 in the fundraising challenge--talk about an inspiration to the rest of us!!! (Thanks, Madison & Mason!)

The balloons and star were distributed to our mighty walkers (Thanks, Tamera and the Riggs-Judd-Sabala-Gearhardt families!)

As the walk began, you wouldn't believe how the skies open up in one spot just in time to see this amazing--I mean, AMAZING!--sunset! Seriously! It was such a beautiful gift to see everything lit up as it there were a million candles gently lighting the sky and our way. It's something I'll never forget.

Kendra did a wonderful job speaking on behalf of 7-year-old survivor Anna Jo! (Thanks, Kendra!)

Another inspiration? Seeing the Marine Corp. run their 11 laps for the kids! It was so cool to see their team run together--reminds me what we're all trying to do against this cancer.

Our friend, Alli, chose the walk to celebrate her son's 3rd birthday! Brilliant and benevolent!!

After the laps, we all headed into the old gym, just as the clouds were rolling in. We had volunteer photographers catch it all, too! (Thanks, Shannon, Chele and Rachel!)

The silent auction looked incredible! So many compliments on how the auction had grown this year. (Thanks, Fred, Candy, Steph, Jordan, Lacie, Rubbermaid, Best Buy, Material Girls, Firefly Yoga Studios and so, so, so many more!) Plus, our own Kyrie Foundation Style Shop (Thanks, Kenzie!)

The Kyrie Foundation was presented with a wonderful check of over $1,700 from the Andover Central Girls Softball Team Hit for the Cure fundraiser! We love these girls for their courageous and generous hearts!

The Kyrie Foundation was also presented with wonderful check of $32,000 from the HawkerBeechcraft golf tournament! We are honored to be their recipient and inspired by their call to the community to do show similar support for the cause.

The foundation, in turn, presented award to the girls and to HawkerBeechcraft as well as to Kruse Corporation for their generosity and creativity (Thanks, Danny!) with the incredible Kyrie Foundation grill!

We debuted the first-ever Kyrie Foundation public service announcement (Thanks, JustinMcClureTV!), which was absolutely beautiful! And then our tribute video to you and to the children for whom we are fighting this disease.

And just as the silent auction closed and check-out began, you could hear the downpour outside. Perfect timing. ;)

We deeply and truly thank everyone who came to walk with us! And to all of our sponsors: AirTight Insulation, Pratt Industries, Midwest Mechanical, The Mattress Hub, American Family Insurance/Brad Woody Agency, Wired-Rite Electric, Jayhawk Oil Supply, Kirk & Becky Rundle Family, Asset Insurance Consultants, Jordan Chiropractic, KLM Photography, West Acres Bowling Center, Bishop Carroll High School, Accent Mobile Music, Kruse Corporation, Art's & Mary's, Heritage College, Cargill, Farmland, Firefly Yoga, Rubbermaid, Justin McClure TV, Material Girls Quilt Shoppe, Coleman Company, E-GrafX, Best Buy, KZSN 102.1, Overhead Door Company and Dillon's.

Together, we raised over $20,000 last Saturday for pediatric brain cancer research!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!! A new record!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

One More Thing

Kyrie Foundation PSA video

Please watch and share this video with your family and friends.  We would like to thank Justin McClureTV for the making of this video and for sharing your time and talents with us. 

Have a blessed day!
Kyrie Foundation
Board of Directors

JOIN US!!!

One more day!  Today is the last day you can register online!  We are so looking forward to spending the evening with you in memory of Kyrie.  This event is so very important to us and we want to share it with as many people as we possibly can. 

We gather to remember.

We pledge to raise funds.

We walk in memory and in honor.

We do all of this...to save the lives of children.

There won't be a dry eye in the place when we get to the heart of the matter.  And really, we are just so thankful for people coming out to do good...just to do good. 

Not for recognition.  Not for any reward. 

Just being there to do good for the sake of doing good. 

We as a board, love to bask in the goodness that comes through the gate with each and every one of you.

So to those of you who have registered, donated, volunteered or are praying for the success of our event...

THANK YOU.

To register for the walk, please click here .

Sincerely,
The Kyrie Foundation
Board of Directors

TUNE IN!

Tomorrow!

KZSN 102.1 FM at 8:45 a.m. tomorrow morning to hear us on the air with Chase Locke talking about the Twilight Walk and the foundation's work!

AND ...

KAKE-ABC Channel 10 during the 11:30 news show to see us talking about the Twilight Walk and the foundation's work!

It's been a whirlwind of a week as we're in the home stretch. BUSY, BUSY and looking forward to celebrating with you all on Saturday. So hard to ask for this given the summer that the area has had this summer, but please, please, please pray for no rain on Saturday! So much to set-up that would be a sad, soggy mess by the time you and your family arrived at 5 p.m. Ugh!

6.

Is it possible that 6 years have flown by?

Last week, I discovered a few photos from six years ago this time. What a feeling of joy to see this tiny pink bundle named Kyrie! Jordan and Lacie look so young in these photos. I can see time now when I look through these images. Sometimes that feels okay, sometimes not.

In each breath today, gratitude for her existence. Such deep gratitude that she brought all of you here into this crusade to save children. Gratitude for growth, for fortitude, for courage. Gratitude that this is not the end. Gratitude that love never dies.

Let's celebrate 6 together. I hope you'll come September 17 to celebrate this journey with us.

Happy 6th birthday, sweet baby Kyrie! You are still the gift with each birthday that arrives—the gift to your parents, your family, your community and your friends all over the world who are fighting brain cancer. Know that we miss you so much. We hope that furry, little Moe, made it to you last week in time for your birthday today. He missed you a lot, too. We love you always.

Sponsors make it possible!

Our Twilight Walkers and our sponsors mean the world to us. It takes a lot of effort, time and ideas to make something like this happen every year. We are 100% volunteer; this is what we all do because we care enough about really, truly making a difference. And the thing is ... we are. We are doing something and that is a 1,000,000% more than doing nothing. We've just sped up the research and shaved time off the wait for a cure. You, your friends, your family, your co-workers, your businesses—you've made the world a better place.

Bishop Carroll High School

To have such a beautiful facility so centrally located is a true blessing for this event and for the foundation. Thank you, BCHS, for making this annual event possible!!

It's really important for companies that turn into corporations to keep a sense of humanity. Pratt certainly does that each year with their much-need sponsorships!

One of the most difficult tasks for any event is getting the word out. We are so grateful to KZSN for their help to spread the word!

We love Bill! He's a wonderful person who has been a true gift to the Twilight Walk each year. If you need someone talented and kind to make the most of your party music, Bill is the one!

We are deeply indebted to Kruse Corp. and the talented Danny Schneider for the stunning Kyrie Foundation grill. Think of them as you dig into a burger or hotdog that night!

We're so happy to have Materials Girls Quilt Shoppe as a new 2011 official sponsor! There is love and creativity put into every stitch of this fabulous fabric venue.

So happy to have Wire-Rite in our camp! And we've heard other business appreciate their good work as well.

Pepsi has made it possible to hydrate hundred and hundreds of Kyrie Foundation supporters over the years. And, of course, the great run we had last fall for the Pepsi Refresh Project!

We've received so many compliments on our volunteers' grillin' skillz, but we're happy to share the love with Cargill, the business that makes it possible to grill anything at all!

This year will be the year I will finally get my time in the massage therapy chair! A round of applause for all the muscles that will be relaxed thanks to Heritage College massage therapy students.

With energy costs climbing and climbing, it's good to know that there's a good company that can help ... and they also care enough to help children and families by sponsoring this year's walk!

New this year! The great people Firefly yoga studio helped sponsor this year's walk and selected the Kyrie Foundation as the beneficiary of their fundraising runway event!

Kirk & Becky Rundle Family

How humbled we are when a family sponsors an event to help other families. A true testament to support and togetherness, huge thanks Rundle family!

What a consistent source of support Art's & Mary's has been to the Kyrie Foundation! We love that these crunchy tater chips are all natural, so when you have a choice for a family snack, this is the one!

 Wonderful thanks to the Brad Woody Agency of American Family Insurance! We, too, believe that families need to be protected from calamity. Thank you, Brad Woody Agency!

Fantastic new sponsor this year! Keeping things cool in the summer and warm in the winter, just how families should be. Thanks, Midwest Mechanical!

If you're looking for a nice place to take a rest, look no further than the Mattress Hub! Supporting the Twilight Walk for years now, we are thrilled to have them as a sponsor this year.

 Once again Rubbermaid has generously donated items that make family life more organized ... and easy to clean! We are so grateful to have them sponsor the Twilight Walk in ways that we could never do by ourselves.

From farm families to your family, we are grateful to Farmland for supplying grillables for the big event. Thank you so much, Farmland!

What wonderful event supplies and a super-fantastic gift package donated by Coleman! We are so grateful for their generosity.

We love it that such a popular place for family fun support keeping families together. Big thanks to West Acres for supporting healthy little brains!

It's so exciting when businesses "get it," when they realize what it is that we're trying to do and help in whatever why they can. Thank you, Best Buy, for your generosity this year!

Jayhawk Oil Supply

We love it when Kansans help Kansans! A big thank you to Jayhawk Oil Supply for their generous sponsorship this year. A true example of why this is called The Heartland.

Asset Insurance Consultants

So grateful to Asset Insurance Consultants, a brand new sponsor for 2011! We agree that all that has value needs extra-special care.

Justin McClure TV

We are profoundly grateful to Justin McClure and his benevolent team for their time and talent donated to make the Kyrie Foundation's first-ever commercial, debuting the night of the Twilight Walk!

And the goodness keeps a'comin'!

So a couple of weeks ago, the readers of CardMaker magazine responded to their September issue Readers Reach Out, and the handmade cards started to roll in. Each day, the postman found creative ways to fit bundles of special cards in the mailbox. Soon the dining room table started looking like this:

And now we have a SLEW of handmade cards to give to families this year!!! Again, we are profoundly moved by this outpouring of support. To know that we are not alone in this fight, this work, this journey, it just means so much. Thank you, CardMaker and your incredible readers!