Team Sarcoma

Team Sarcoma events brought families and communities together in life-affirming action from 2003-2014. The events raised more than $3 million for sarcoma research and increased sarcoma awareness as they were covered by media around the world.

Team Sarcoma was a global, grass-roots movement of individuals, families, communities and organizations. Those who joined the movement were devoted to doing good in the face of illness and grief. Volunteers planned, marketed, led and participated in events that educated and inspired thousands of people. The events had a warm and caring atmosphere, and the gatherings became "hope in action" as friends and neighbors worked toward a goal together.

The movement started with seven people.

When Liddy Shriver and six of her family members and friends mounted their bicycles to ride as "Team Sarcoma" in Louisiana in 2003, they did not know they were starting a global movement. They were simply fulfilling one of Liddy's wishes - a multi-day bike tour to increase sarcoma awareness and to help others dealing with sarcoma.

The group raised $14,000 for sarcoma research that year.

It grew to 260 people.

Liddy and her family were soon inspired to ride again, and they invited their friends to ride as "virtual teams" from around the world at the same time. Those events raised an additional $75,000 for sarcoma research in 2003.

For the next two years, Liddy's family and friends continued Team Sarcoma in her memory. The "core team" and "virtual teams" held events around the world at the same time. Their numbers continued to hover at around 260 participants.

Then thousands joined in.

From 2006-2010, the Team Sarcoma Initiative grew exponentially and included more than 50,000 participants. Hundreds of events were held around the world in an annual effort known as "International Sarcoma Awareness Week." The leaders of the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative helped more than 100 charities plan events, and more than $2 million was raised for sarcoma research, support and advocacy.

And funded incredible global research teams.

From 2010-2014, the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative worked to expand its world-class Research Grants Program with a focus on international collaboration. Expert volunteers in the program thoroughly reviewed every grant application based on its own merits. As a result, Team Sarcoma events funded some of the most cutting-edge, global collaborative research that has ever been done on sarcomas.

We hope that these studies have set the stage for future collaborative efforts in sarcoma research and faster progress in diagnosing and treating sarcomas. And we hope to look back one day and see that Team Sarcoma events ultimately led to better treatments and better, longer lives.

Why Team Sarcoma?

Fantastic Features of Team Sarcoma

Each event leader chose the name of her effort and everything else about it, and then let us know how we could help.

Event leaders chose what kind of research to support.

At least 95% of funds raised were used for actual research costs, not salaries or administrative expenses.

The promising studies that these events supported were thoroughly planned out and peer-reviewed. A complete report of each study's results was published in ESUN.

Sarcomas affect thousands of people around the world; yet they are rare cancers that receive limited research funding. Sarcomas are not fully understood, and this makes them difficult to treat. Even though the need for research is great, most cancer research funds are used for the more well-known cancers.

The good news is that people affected by sarcoma can make a significant impact by choosing to advocate for sarcoma-specific research! Much of the funding for the Initiative's cutting-edge research program was raised by inspiring families and communities who wanted to help. By bringing families and communities together in a global effort, Team Sarcoma amplified every voice, increased sarcoma awareness, and created lasting supportive connections.

A number of our partners were dedicated to funding research on specific types of sarcomas. This type of focused effort was welcomed, and the Initiative's Research Grants program funded research on as many sarcomas as possible.

Team Sarcoma Events (2003-2014)

Our champions chose to represent Team Sarcoma in an event or to plan events of their own. Event options included:

picnics, walks and runs
bicycle and motorcycle rides, spinning events
golf and fishing tournaments
skating and dancing events
dinners, cocktail evenings, wine tastings and happy hour gatherings
rummage sales, silent auctions and retail events

When someone let us know that they were interested in planning an event, we talked with that person about his personal connection to sarcoma, along with his wishes and creative ideas. We provided:

Literature, graphics and videos for use at the event
Suggestions and ideas based on our past experience with similar events
Tips on communicating and marketing the event
"Sarcoma Knows No Borders" bracelets for everyone who made a $5 donation at the event
Information about our research grants program and tax status, along with guidance about accepting donations
Promotion of the event on our website, a Champion Page to describe the event, and a published article after the event that described event accomplishments

A Few of Our Past Events

November: Casey (11) and Addie (8) have been thinking a lot about their Uncle Jordan as he deals with osteosarcoma. They decided to raise money for osteosarcoma research by creating "Crafts to Cure" in their hometown of Newtown, Connecticut. Their mother writes, "They would do ANYTHING to help cure Jordan...and everyone else with osteosarcoma. They ended up donating about 80% of their proceeds and keeping a small amount to re-stock for their next big sale...which they can't wait for!" The girls contributed $170 to osteosarcoma research. What a thoughtful effort and a reminder that people of all ages can make a difference!

October: Jillian Laughlin and her youth group at St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church in Spring, Texas, raised money in celebration of Jillian's father, Tim Laughlin, who has been a warrior against leiomyosarcoma for the past 13 years. The event was called Light the Way to a Cure, and over 250 luminaries filled the church in memory of loved ones affected by cancer. Jillian and her friend Alex Rodriguez designed t-shirts to sell during the event, which was attended by over 350 youths from her church. Jillian, along with the help of her youth director, Brian Lennox, was able to raise increase sarcoma awareness and raise over $2,000 for research for a cure for leiomyosarcoma.

September 28: A Happy Hour event was held in Philadelphia, PA, where $6,000 was raised for clear cell sarcoma research in memory of Steve Byrne.

September 14: The Nick Teddy 'Fight Against Ewing's Sarcoma' 5K was held in Port Byron, Illinois and raised $20,000 for Ewing's sarcoma research!

July 17: Max Ritvo, Andrew Kahn, and Shon Arieh-Lerer presented a Night of Stand-Up Comedy to increase awareness and raise money for Ewing's sarcoma research.

July 15-17: Jim Kern participated in the California Badwater Marathon in memory of David Bradley.

July 14: A casino bus trip in Pennsylvania supported LMS research in memory of Donna Burkhart.

June 29: The JRock-n-Run in Maryland raised money for RMS research in memory of Jordan Paganelli.

June 27-29, 2013: The Alcore Ride 2013 in Wisconsin raised money for sarcoma research in memory of Alison Foerster.

November 2012: Bailey's Celebration
Bailey was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in March 2012. In November, her family and friends hosted a party to celebrate the end of chemo. It was a blast, and the kids danced the night away. It also happened to be Bailey's 11th birthday - and what a fun night it turned out to be. Rather than gifts, everyone was encouraged to bring a donation. The event ended up raising about $1890 for the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative.

October 13: The David Dearinger Memorial 'Swinging for Sarcoma' Golf Outing was held in Florence, Kentucky.

September 29: An Evening of Wine Tasting was held in Landisville, New Jersey, to celebrate the life of Steve Byrne. The event raised $7,500 for clear cell sarcoma research.

September 15: The Nick Teddy 'Fight Against Ewing's Sarcoma' 5Kwas held in Port Byron, Illinois. More than 450 participants registered for the event, which raised $17,000 for Ewing's sarcoma research!

September 15: Childhood Cancer Awareness Day was held at Los Gatos High School in California. Participants created a beautiful luminary event and raised nearly $2,000 for the Initiative's Grants Program!

June 18: Eat It to Beat It
This fundraiser was created by students Megan, Jessica and Danielle at Glenbard West High School. They raised $1,000 for sarcoma research in four hours at a local frozen yogurt shop!
Hike to Strike Out Sarcoma

May 31: A Hike to Strike Out Sarcoma
This hike was organized by fifth grader Clayton Sumner and raised more than $1,200 for leiomyosarcoma research in honor of Clayton's father.

April - May 2012: The Wendy Walk
The Wendy Walk has raised nearly $1 million for liposarcoma research in just three years! In 2012, three successful walks were held in three cities.

April 20-22: Rummage Sale ~ In Memory of Christie Rufener Campbell
Randolph, Ohio: This special event will benefit sarcoma research in memory of Christie Rufener Campbell. A local sarcoma survivor, Charlie Wise, will be honored at the event. Donation drop-off days will be April 16-19th.

January 29th at 2:30pm: Wendy Walk Spinning Event
New York City: Throughout her battle with cancer, Wendy has found that being active is the best way to keep up her hope and energy. Join us in supporting her by spinning at Flywheel on the Upper East Side. Rides are $40 each, with all proceeds benefiting sarcoma research

January 21st: Bi-Coastal Sarcoma Ride
Lakeland, Florida and North Hollywood, California: Team RAAM Sarcoma will hold simultaneous fund-raising rides on opposite sides of America, a "Coast-to-Coast" effort if you will. The Team will raise money for the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative and for the RAAM effort, which they hope will also raise awareness of sarcoma. The RAAM crew chief is currently in an ongoing battle for his life with sarcoma.

January 18th at 7:00pm: Wendy Walk Cocktail Hour
New York City: Join the Wendy Walk Committe in in their efforts to increase sarcoma awareness. A free drink is included with your $20 donation, and there will be $3 drink specials all night. Registration and payment will be accepted at the door of the Magician at 118 Rivington Street in Manhattan.

December 24: Hike for Mike 2011
Phoenix, Arizona: Come and hike with friends of Michael Lio on what would have been his 25th birthday. Hikers will meet at 9050 North 40th Street at 9:30 a.m., and a two hour hike departs at 10:00 a.m. A reception hosted by the Lio family will follow. Donations of $5.00 receive a Strike Out Sarcoma wristband, and donations of $20.00 receive a Strike Out Sarcoma t-shirt. 100% of donations go to the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative for Ewing’s sarcoma research in memory of Michael Lio.

December 12: Run for Anna
Sacramento, California: Jennifer Cotter will run in the California International Marathon in memory of her niece, Anna Rogotzke.

December 3-4: 24 Hours of LeMons Race
Buttowillow, California: Melissa and James represented Team Sarcoma in the "24 Hours of LeMons" race. The race is for cars that were purchased, fixed up, and track-prepped for a total of $500 or less. These total pieces of junk race in a 24-hour endurance race, broken up in two days.

October 16: Debra Harding ran the TUI Marathon in Mallorca, Spain on October 16, 2011. She ran in memory of her sister, Susan Buys Jordaan, who fought myxofibrosarcoma (MFH at the time) for three years and lost her fight on December 17th, 2004. Debra raised 1000 Euros ($1,289) towards sarcoma research, and she hopes to help families affected by sarcoma in the future.

September 24: Team Sarcoma Keepin' it Kevin - Bike/Walk/Run
East Petersburg, PA: Our hope with our Keepin it Kevin events is to raise awareness and funds to beat this disease and fund new research. Our first event, a bike/walk/run held in East Petersburg in 2010 hosted 80 people and raised $5,000.

September 17: Halfway to St. Patty's Day Happy Hour
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Many thanks to the 120 people who gathered to have fun and raise money for clear cell sarcoma research in memory of Steve Byrne. This special night included food, music, Irish dancing and an auction. The group raised $6,800 for research!

September 10: The Fourth Annual River Region Open Car and Truck Show was held on September 10, 2011. Four of the major car clubs in the Montgomery region team up for the event. More than $1,000 was raised by the GM High Performance Car Club for sarcoma research in memory of Michael Lio.

August 13: Strike Out Sarcoma Night at Chase Field
Phoenix, Arizona: This event raised $8,000 for sarcoma research and was covered in the local news. Players on both teams wore "Strike Out Sarcoma" wristbands, and more than 200 people attended as a part of the event. Strike out Sarcoma has now raised nearly $90,000 for sarcoma research!

August 6: Be A Hero: Team Sarcoma 5k
Waco, Texas: The 3rd Annual Be A Hero: Team Sarcoma 5K in Waco, Texas was held on August 6, 2011. Involving just more than 240 participants, the Waco and Central Texas communities raised more than $9,100 towards sarcoma cancer research grants. The event once again highlighted by the 1K Family Run which was led by an energetic and fun-loving cast of costumed superheroes. The Be A Hero 5K began in 2009 in honor of Andrew Moore, now age 11, who had been going through surgeries and chemotherapy for a sarcoma cancer. Andrew continues to do well and reminds us that anyone who fights cancer is a true a hero to us all.

'Sarcoma Knows No Borders' Bracelets

The mantra of the Team Sarcoma movement was "Sarcoma Knows No Borders." We coined this phrase because sarcomas can occur anywhere in the body and they don’t discriminate on age, gender, race or nationality.

Thousands of people around the world wear "Sarcoma Knows No Borders" bracelets as a sign of support and solidarity. The background color of the bracelet is a swirl of a pathology slide of a sarcoma patient.

The wrist band is reversible. "Sarcoma Knows No Borders" is printed on one side, and the word "sarcoma" is printed in 13 languages on the other side. Each bracelet is individually packaged. Many boys, girls and teenagers wear them as ankle bracelets.