Fourth and final quarter of “Sydenham Tackles Cancer”

Oct 04, 2012

Photo: L-r, Matt Rennie, Stacey O'Connor, Stephanie Laurin, Mickayla Green-Meadus, Kelly Green Meadus and Karl Hammer

A dance on September 28 at Sydenham High School marked the final chapter of a four-year fundraising campaign for the Mike and Andy Fund.

The Sydenham Tackles Cancer campaign was begun in 2009 by Karl Hammer and Mike Rennie, friends of Mike Woodcox and Andy Green, who were both students and running backs at SHS and who both tragically succumbed to cancer in the 1990s.

To date the organizers, along with help from a special government program that matched those funds 9-1 for two of the four quarters, have raised over $40,000 for cancer research.

This year the band "The Stares" entertained guests and the event as always included a silent auction with items donated from individuals and businesses from in and around the community.

Karl Hammer, who teaches special education at the school, said that the final event carries a lot of weight for him and that the experience has been a memorable one. “A lot can happen in four years time and I personally have had to face a cancer-related tragedy in my own family, which makes the cause that much more important to me. I feel that I am just an example of what many guests here tonight have unfortunately also had to experience.” Hammer paid tribute to the Green and Woodcox families, who he said have been very generous with their time and who have supported the event all along the way. “We are very thankful to both families for going along with the idea, and helping out and we are also in debt to all of the volunteers who have helped the event to be so successful.”

When asked if he and Matt are planning any future events, Rennie said that he at one point had been considering a future “overtime” event but that after speaking with members of the Green and Woodcox families, he and Karl felt comfortable wrapping up the campaign and moving on. “This event was meant to be four years and we have come to realize that things have a beginning and an end, so we feel comfortable seeing it come to a close.”

That being said Hammer and Rennie are currently brainstorming new ideas that might include a dual future fundraising event at the school both for cancer research and the school's football team. “We'll see what happens but right now we are just very happy to see so many supporters coming out for this, the last and final quarter of what has been a very successful and memorable campaign,” Hammer said.

Kelly Green, Andy's sister and Cindy Woodcox, Mike's mother were both in attendance and expressed their gratitude to the community and the organizers. Both said that they have made life-long friends because of the event and that they were at peace seeing the event coming to a close. “You can only ask for so much and there are a lot of other causes that need attention,” Kelly Green said.

Cindy had the last word. “We are just grateful for all of the money that has been raised and pleased at having our boys so fondly remembered by the community.”