As we reflect on 2020, our hearts are full of joy and gratitude. We saw an increase in grant requests from local breast cancer survivors needing additional support during the pandemic and we were able to say “YES”. With the continued support of our donors, sponsors, and volunteers we were able to increase our financial assistance to our Survivors Grants Fund to serve more survivors than any other year.
It has been a challenging year for many nonprofits in our community and we are grateful we were able to have our 8th Annual Run Jen Run 5K and Festival and celebrate 13 of our survivors in person before everyone’s world changed. That day reminded our supporters and our community of our mission, our purpose, and how we continue to carry Jen’s Legacy. As Karen, a Go Jen Go grant recipient shared at the awards ceremony, “ Go Jen Go was able to help us cover some monthly bills and even helped support my daughters going to summer camp. The first time we saw them smile in quite some time.”
In 2020, we have served over 240 survivors and increased our financial assistance by 15 percent. We celebrated 13 survivors at our race, 19 meals were donated to survivors through Cheers Jen Cheers, and 15 survivors were supported through Operation Spread the Joy. The numbers speak for themselves, but what truly shows the impact and what keeps us working hard are the notes from our survivors letting us know how Go Jen Go is helping them through their fight against cancer. Your support and donations are helping many women, men, and families meet their day to day needs, which helps them focus on their fight against cancer.
Here are a few examples of how your support is making an impact on our grantees. Their words are more powerful and telling than any words we could share.
“I can only say thank you so much & I can pick up my medication now and God Bless each and every one of you for what you do for others in need. Thank you.” ~ Belinda G.
“I just wanted to say thanks! You’ll never know how much these funds mean to my family. Because of these funds our lights won’t be turned off and I can put a little towards my medical bills. I feel blessed to have you guys in my corner.” ~ Renee B.
“You do great things and I am so blessed to be the recipient of your great work! This gift has offered my family some much needed relief and we cannot thank you enough for the generosity and kindness your organization has shown us. I never thought about the snowball effect in life that being sick can have. It is not just the disease you are fighting, it is also all that the disease does to disrupt your world. You and your team help to take some of the disruption and stress away! THANK YOU! I am forever grateful and when I’m on my feet again, will find ways to pay it to someone else fighting.” ~ Mara E.
You all have helped us support amazing women like Belinda, Renee and Mara. Helping to give them peace of mind and help them know they can pay their rent, utilities, and cover day to day needs. Even during a difficult year for many – financially, emotionally and physically, we saw continued support and even from some amazing breast cancer survivors giving back to support other breast cancer survivors.
“I say it every time – but I don’t know that I can ever repay you for the way you stood by me that awful year. I truly had moments when I did not know if I would make it – you stood by me, believed in me, and supported me like no one else. So just trying to repay you gives me great joy.” ~ Annika
It’s been a year no one expected, but one thing we knew is that we would continue to serve the breast cancer survivors in our community and continue to carry Jen’s Legacy. Thank you.
If you’d like to learn about our new Jen’s Legacy monthly donor program, click here. Become a founding member by the end of 2020 and help us continue to serve in 2021.
- The cause. This race was Jen Pagani’s dream and it’s our biggest fundraiser. Your support allows us to help families who are struggling to make ends meet because breast cancer treatment is taking every extra dollar. Because of this race, we will be able to help hundreds of survivors in 2016. We can’t do it without you.
- The swag. The race t-shirt is new and different this year. That’s reason enough. But if you fundraise through Crowdrise, you can also earn all kinds of awesome treats – a long-sleeved t-shirt, a water bottle, a cooler, or a Yeti tumbler. Or you could earn all four!
- The festival. This is a family-friendly event and there is a TON for the kids to do. Bouncy houses, face painting, mascots, food, and much more.
- The course. It’s fast and it’s neighborly. You’ll fly through the streets and time will fly too because you’ll be having so much fun.
- Packet Pickup. We have DRIVE THOUGH packet pick up, people. Could that be any easier? No. The answer is no.
So register to run the Run Jen Run 5K. Do it for Jen. Or do it for you. Either way, just do it!
Christmas somehow became real this weekend, didn’t it? Every other car driving down the road had a tree tied on top, twinkly lights were strewn all over rooftops and trees, and inflatable Rudolfs were too numerous to count. There is excitement and anticipation as school winds down; families are ready enjoy the holidays.
But some families won’t be able to enjoy the holidays unless we help them. That’s why at GoJenGo, we have our annual Operation Spread the Joy. Each year we create a SignUpGenius list so you can sign up and purchase gifts for several families who are struggling financially because they can’t afford Christmas and the cost of daily living, and breast cancer.
Here are just a couple of scenarios to break your heart: we have three young children who lost their mother (who was only 33 years old) to breast cancer just two weeks ago. She and her husband had done their Christmas shopping before she died, but her husband can’t afford the layaway payments to pick up the gifts they selected.
We have another mother who has two daughters who were born deaf and a son who is quadriplegic. She just wants to be able to buy them each a few small things for Christmas.
A few small things. That’s all these families are asking for. And you can help them.
Please click on our SignUpGenius link and select two or three items to purchase for these families. Because while Christmas may be real to us? It’s not real for these families. Not yet. They don’t know how they can afford Christmas; needless to say, there will be no inflatable Rudolf on their lawn. But there can be gifts under their tree.
Thank you so much for helping us make Christmas a reality for these families. Thank you for giving these children, who live with the implications of breast cancer every day, something to be excited about.
Instructions and deadlines are included on the SignUpGenius page. We wish you a joyous holiday season!
So today is #GivingTuesday, the day that comes after black Friday and Cyber Monday. This is the day we are supposed to atone for our outrageous holiday spending by making a donation to a not-for-profit that makes our world a better place.
GoJenGo would like to humbly suggest making a donation to us! And here’s why: we make the world a better place for individuals and families living with the burden of breast cancer. We offer emotional and financial assistance for when times are hard. And, trust us, times are often hard for our families; bills start mounting and the stress of appointments and decision-making reach an all-time high. But that’s when we are at our best. GoJenGo steps in and offers help. And we allow these men and women to focus on life for a few minutes. Rather than on their disease.
So we’ll keep our plea today simple. GoJenGo would be extremely grateful to have your donation, especially since there are so many families who need our help during the holidays. But even if it’s not us you choose to support, please support a not-for-profit today. That’s what #GivingTuesday is all about. Just give from your heart and watch the difference it makes.
Have you ever gone to an event and been disappointed by the food? It’s not fun, is it? You go in with high expectations, maybe you even skipped meal in anticipation of the yumminess you just know you’re going to experience. And then you walk away unfulfilled. Unsatisfied.
We can promise that won’t happen at our fundraiser on Sunday.
If you join us for OktoberBreast at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery this weekend, you will be delighted by the food. That’s because it’s being provided by Roots Food, one of the most exciting catering companies around. Maybe you’ve visited their food truck around town? If so, you know what we’re talking about. Almost everything they offer is fresh, unique, and made from scratch. And they source as much local food as possible for their menu. They’ve become famous for their tacos, sandwiches, barbecue, and all kinds of other delectable treats (and just as an FYI, they’ll customize a menu for you if you have a party to cater!) Anyway, you’re just gonna have to come out on Sunday to see what snacks Roots has in store for you.
So come share some snacks and goodies with us on Sunday. Because if you come to OktoberBreast, you won’t walk away unsatisfied. Well, unless you don’t win that auction item you bid on. But that’s on you! The food will rock.
Tickets are still available for OktoberBreast! Come out from 3-6pm on Sunday, October 18 to watch the Panthers game, hang out with friends, eat delicious food, and help us raise money for a great cause! See you there!
Why do you ride?
We asked some of our 24 Hours of Booty teammates questions about the ride. It was the first year for the GoJenGo team and we had both first time riders and seasoned riders join us. We asked them several different questions, but the first was, why?
Responses varied, but at the heart of it were people – those who surround us and those we remember and loved so much.
“Why do I ride in Booty? For Jen. For Rocco. Luca. Joe. For Gammy. Papa. Juju. Britt. Susan. Meredith………. That list goes on and on. I ride for the camaraderie, to raise awareness and money for invaluable research, to meet folks. I ride because I can.”
“I ride in 24HOB for the camaraderie and in memory of Jen Pagani.”
“I ride because Jen would have. She would have told me to get my a$$ on a bike and ride for those who can‘t. And I ride because I love the others who ride with me!”
And we ride because we want to win….against cancer!
“Because I hate cancer!”
“Because these are the events that give heart and and momentum and DOLLARS to the fight against cancer”
Whatever your reason, we invite you to join, to donate, or to cheer for our GoJenGo team!
JOIN THE TEAM. Click this link to ride and raise money on the GoJenGo team. We will have a cool jersey, not to mention our own cheering section!
DONATE. Click this link if you can’t be there in person, but want to put dollars towards a great cause! Pick a name of a Go Jen Go cyclist and it will go towards the GoJenGo team.
CHEER: Maybe this isn’t your year to ride, but you don’t want to miss out on the fun and fellowship that surrounds this event. We will have a gathering to salute our team and cheer them on during the first lap of the weekend. More details to follow!
– See more at: https://www.gojengo.org/2015/06/booty-time/#sthash.n668njPx.dpuf
– See more at: https://www.gojengo.org/2015/07/why-do-you-ride/#sthash.H7aw28p2.dpuf
- The Run Jen Run 5K is fun for the whole family.
We don’t actually call this a race. We call it a FESTIVAL. And for good reason. We will have something for everyone on Saturday, March 7. For the kids, we have the Sports Connection Kids Zone where there will be face painting, an inflatable slide and obstacle course, a kids boot camp demonstration (participation encouraged!), balloon art, a giant inflatable bowling game, and many beloved Charlotte mascots roaming around for entertainment and photo opps. And, of course, there is the McGladrey one-mile fun run – a perfect way for kids to burn off some energy. For adults, there will be massages from Carolina Sports Clinic and the opportunity to watch your kids wear themselves out. If that’s not priceless, we don’t know what is! - Food.
First of all the free stuff: We’ll have the usual post-race snacks. And one of Charlotte’s newest restaurants, the Improper Pig, will be offering some free barbeque samples (while supplies last). But bring your wallet so that you can enjoy some well-earned delicacies in the food court (sponsored by Winstead Attorneys). Because we know your priorities, there will be hot coffee, supplied by The Coffee Priest, for your caffeine fix. You can also enjoy breakfast sandwiches and breakfast tacos from Two Chicks And A Truck and then indulge in some freshly made treats from the Kettle Korn Factory afterward. We’ve also heard rumors that there may be donuts. . . . - The course.
The 5K course is fun and fast. The Carolina Volkswagen pace car will lead runners through a timed, USATF-certified course that has more downhills than uphills. A PR is a very good possibility at the Run Jen Run 5K. And there will be age group awards! - The swag.
The Run Jen Run 5K race t-shirt is soft, breathable, and flattering on everyone. That’s because we have both women’s and men’s styles. Plus, every 5K finisher receives a really cool medal. How many 5Ks do you know of that offer a medal?? - It’s the largest fundraiser for the GoJenGo Foundation. And it’s Jen’s legacy.
Jen Pagani and her husband, Joe, founded GoJenGo to provide emotional and financial support for individuals (and their families) in North and South Carolina battling breast cancer. But it’s not possible without the help of our supporters. By registering for this race (our largest fundraiser and a dream come true for Jen), you are helping us offer many local families a little relief from the everyday costs of living life along with cancer treatment. This is our third Run Jen Run 5K and our second race without Jen. Honor her legacy by registering for her race!
The Run Jen Run 5K is presented by Consolidated Planning, a member of the Guardian Group. For more information or to register, visit https://runjenrun.racesonline.com/register. You can arrive as early as 6:30am but the 5K race begins at Southpark Mall’s Symphony Park at 8am (at the Smiley’s 4 C’s start line). The one-mile fun run will start at 8:45.