Family reaches out in battle against cancer

Cancer is a disease the affects everyone in some capacity. When a family receives news that a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, their whole world stops and everything changes. Often, in addition to health concerns, mounting medical bills and expenses can devastate families.

When the Davis family of Valley Stream received the news in 2005 that Angelina, a mother and a wife, was diagnosed with a brain tumor, it was crushing. But now, with a healthy Angelina, the Davis family looks to help those in need through their non-profit organization, Shootout Cancer, Inc.

“We saw that even in the midst of having (health insurance) established and good jobs that you could still find yourself in a major struggle with this,” Angelina said of cancer.

She and her husband, Brian, created Shootout Cancer in 2008, and became a non-profit organization in 2010. They host at least one big event each year at a local gymnasium (the event has been held at Lawrence High School since 2010), where people make a donation at the door and then come in to play games with a chance to win prizes that were donated by local businesses.

Brian said they wanted their organization to be different, which is why Shootout Cancer provides the people who donate with an afternoon of fun. “We said ‘how about people donate, but come out and have fun and see, hear and understand where the money is going,’” he said.

The hundreds of people who have attended Shootout Cancer events in recent years have seen how their donations help those battling cancer pay a bevy of expenses, including bills, rent, medical costs and groceries. The organization recently assisted the family of an 8-year-old with Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma by paying their rent and giving them supermarket gift cards.

In order for the Davis’ organization to help a family or person, they must first meet and interview them, and the people in need must agree to have their stories told and attend Shootout Cancer events in the future. The reasoning behind this is so people can make a connection with those in need and see where the donated money is going. Also, the Shootout Cancer board, which consists of four people, must approve an applicant.

Now, Shootout Cancer is launching a new initiative called Each One, Reach One, where people are asked to donate $5 a month for a 13-month period beginning in January 2013 through January 2014.

“It’s not about getting a lot of money from a small group of people,” Brian said. “It’s about getting a small amount of money from the masses.”

In addition to helping those afflicted by cancer with their expenses, the money raised during Each One, Reach One will go toward the purchase of a facility for Shootout Cancer. Brian and Angelina want their own building to hold events and to serve as a sanctuary for those battling cancer.

“In order for us to really help people at the level we want to, we have to generate funds regularly,” Angelina said.

Brian and Angelina, who have been married since 1998, have lived in Valley Stream since 2001 and have a son in seventh grade at South High School, are currently looking for potential locations for their facility. It is their plan for the building to be a wellness and recovery center for those battling cancer and it would feature a gymnasium, a workout room, a childcare facility and other resources. Also with the money raised, they are looking to purchasing passenger vans in order to transport supplies and people to their medical appointments.

To find out more information about Shootout Cancer and Each One, Reach One, checkout the organization’s website at www.shootoutcancer.net.