Saves for a Cure for Cancer
by Matt Coller, Bylinesports.com 2/19/10
The college at Brockport’s goaltender Todd Sheridan beat tongue cancer. He didn’t survive it, he beat it. Cancer was a one-timer or a 2-on-1. Cancer was another puck he turned away. Only a few years after Sheridan stoned Cancer’s break-away (Dr.’s gave him 70 percent to live, which is the same percentage goalie’s stop on the break-away), Sheridan is working to help others taking on the same opponent.
It took two years for Sheridan’s foundation, Saves for a Cure (www.savesforacure.com), to become “legit.” The idea to start a foundation stemmed from an experience during chemo-therapy. While waiting to go in to a waiting room, Todd saw a man and a young girl waiting. He assumed the man was the one with cancer, but when the girl turned around he noticed a patch of hair missing.
“It was the only time I broke down during the entire experience,” Sheridan said. “I knew I needed to do something. I’m not raising money for a magic pill, I just want to help people going through this.”
All the leg work in creating the foundation has been done by Todd, his family and a few helpers at the annual salary of $0. Sheridan’s foundation gives 100 percent of money raised to children with cancer.
“Most foundations spend so much of the money on salaries,” Sheridan said. “I didn’t want it to be like that. It’s hard. It’s really hard. But, I can sleep at night knowing I did everything I could do to help children with cancer.”
This weekend, Feb. 19 and 20, Brockport will host Saves for a Cure Weekend. The money from tickets, a donation bucket and jersey auction will all go to Saves for a Cure. At last year’s Saves for a Cure Weekend, jersey sales alone totaled over $2,500. Additionally, several businesses donate money for each save Brockport goalies make. Money Sheridan wants to deliver himself.
“I know in my room at the hospital I had a couch, a TV and a DVD player,” Sheridan said. “It made things a lot more comfortable for me and that’s what I want to do for other children.”
Sheridan is starting on the micro level. His plan is to reach out to individual families and use the money he has raised in whatever he can to assist.
Sounds like he’s got everything figured out, huh. Not really. Todd needs help. His Web site admittedly needs work. He has little to no assistance to market his foundation and he has a budget of $0 to work with. Yes, it helps going out to the game and dropping a few dollars in the bucket, I will be there Friday night to support Todd and give to his cause, but he needs more than just money, he needs behind-the-scenes people.
Saves for a Cure will remain at Brockport after Todd Sheridan is finished playing, and Todd and his family will continue their efforts to make a difference. We can all help. Visit Todd’s Web site at www.savesforacure.com or e-mail him at Tsher1@brockport.edu.
Source:
http://bylinesports.com/Posts.aspx/ReadPost/dac76b47-a5fd-470c-a798-97bbebe2f2e1
