The Gail Boyter Magness Foundation had an outstanding 2018, raising nearly $63,000 to fund Glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumor research. This year, 45% of the money came from events. We continued the successful “Ales for Ashley” fundraisers in Atlanta, GA at Eventide Brewery and Arlington, TX at Legal Draft Brewery. We also participated in the Atlanta Beer and Wine Festivals, where we raised awareness and money through raffle prize drawings and Cancer Sucks t-shirt sales. We are thrilled to announce that we hosted two new events this year: “Ales for Ashley” at Bold Rock Cidery in Mills River, NC and “Acting for Ashley” at the Vintage Theatre in Denver, CO. We are grateful to all of the venues for their support in 2018 and hope to return in 2019.

 

The other 55% of our fundraising came through a mix of individual donations and corporate sponsorship donations. Thanks to all the individuals who donated through our website in memory of Ashley. We were particularly touched last year by a young person that raised money in memory of her Aunt and then trusted those funds to us for distribution for brain cancer research. Special thanks to our two Corporate sponsors – Rotorcraft Services Group in Fort Worth and Full Pint Productions, Inc – for their financial support.

 

With the funds raised in 2018 we completed our $25,000 commitment to the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University. We donated $10,500 to the “Defeat GBM” initiative sponsored by the National Brain Tumor Society. We’ve also chosen a new research partner to support, UT Southwestern (UTSW) Harold Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and provided them with a $6,100 donation. We have a $25,000 commitment to UTSW and the funds are going specifically to Dr. Elizabeth Mahr’s research using spectroscopy.

 

Carly and Ric also attended their second Head to the Hill in DC, hosted by the National Brain Tumor Society. We met with our Congressional Representatives and asked for an increase of $2 billion in NIH funding, support of the Childhood Cancer (STAR) Act, an increase in funding for the NCI, and continued support of funding for DOD research as it relates to brain tumors. In May 2018, Congress passed the STAR Act!

 

2018 also saw the loss of a personal friend and some notable individuals to Glioblastoma. Gracia Carlson, a co-worker of Ashley’s from Hutcheson Jr. High, passed away in April. We also lost Senator John McCain and golfing great, Bruce Lietzke. Unfortunately, the median survival rate for someone diagnosed with a Glioblastoma (GBM) is only 12-19 months.

 

With your help, the GBM Foundation has raised a total of $83,500 in just 2 years. We are thankful to all who have donated their time, talents, auction items, raffle items, money and facilities to help us support research to defeat this horrible disease. Looking forward to continuing the fight against Glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumors in 2019!

 

Sincerely,

Carly and Ric, Co-Founders GBM Foundation