A successful swing

By Suzie Siegel

The Swing for Sarcoma was a great success, netting about $2,000 for the Sarcoma Alliance as well as connecting sarcoma patients and advocates.

About 70 people attended the concert at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas. Up first was Stevie Stix & the Uptown 6, the church's acclaimed jazz combo, followed by Merry and the Mood Swings, a 2010 Grammy contender.

Church member Mary Hestand (above), who sings in both bands, helped organize the fundraiser.  The other Mood Swings are: Michael Byron, Martha Germann, Mary Guthrie and Diane Harris. Jazz band members are: Steve Crozier, Fred Garza, Dickey Johnson, Tina Malone, Bill McDonald, Stephen Potter and Jack Reed. Alan Tubbs ran sound.
In addition to Mary, the other organizers were Francoise Colley of Coppell, on the left, Jean Walton of Bedford on the right and me in the middle. Jean's husband Dennis, daughter Amelia and granddaughter Maddy helped with the set-up.

We three donated items to the silent auction. Below, Arden Tubbs looks at a Christian Dior scarf.

The Sarcoma Alliance was honored to have representatives from three nonprofits based in the Dallas area. We talked about ways that we could collaborate.

Mac and Lisa Tichenor run the QuadW Foundation in honor of their son, Willie. They give grants for sarcoma research, among other causes. Carol and David Basso created the 1Million4Anna foundation this year in their daughter's name. They raise money for Ewing's research and give scholarships to Ewing’s patients.

Also new this year is the Eric D. Davis Sarcoma Foundation, founded by his daughter Nia and wife Zanetta. (Nia's cousin, Carlton Trigg, also attended.) The foundation raises money for research, and its Provide the Assist program gives travel grants up to $500 to patients who go to the University of Texas-Southwestern Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center in Dallas or the UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

This complements the Sarcoma Alliance's Assistance Fund, which also gives grants up to $500 to reimburse the expenses of getting a second opinion from sarcoma experts.

If you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, drop by the Applebee's in Garland on July 14 for a Flapjack Fundraiser for the Davis Foundation.

Speaking of delicious food, the Main Bakery in Grapevine was our most generous donor in that regard: three trays of mini-sandwiches stuffed with chicken salad, turkey and Swiss cheese, and tomato and pesto; and a tray of lemon bars, brownies and raspberry nut bars.      

Brinker International gave us appetizers from Chili's: buffalo wings, crispy chicken with ranch dressing, nachos with cheese, chips and salsa, and chicken and vegetable egg rolls. Costco's gift card bought croissant sandwiches with turkey and Swiss, roast beef and cheddar, and ham and cheese. 

Mary Hestand and her family made two hefty pots of bean and pozole stew. Susannah Garza made cake balls, Ellen Guiling donated the Asian snack mix, Cyndi Damon donated cookies, and Patricia and Phil Macmillan donated bottled water. Mr. and Mrs. Pat Daly of the Coppell Community Gardens donated fresh sunflowers, a symbol of hope for sarcoma patients. Lisa Warner and Kaz Ferns worked the door.

Our great thanks to the church, the businesses and all the people who helped out in one way or another. As a sarcoma patient myself, I can say: We can never repay what so many kind people have done for us.