PHILADELPHIA (October 10, 2010) – When it came time for Ariel Silverman, a 12-year-old Bat Mitzvah candidate from Upper Dublin, to choose her mitzvah project, the choice was clear. She decided to combine her love of dogs with her willingness to support cancer research by raising money for Fox Chase Cancer Center’s annual charity dog-walk—Paws for the Cause.
“Sadly, cancer has touched my family as it has many others,” says Silverman, whose grandfather died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma just months before she was born. “I was excited to help raise money and awareness to hopefully find a cure for this terrible disease.”
The Silverman’s beloved pooch, a Schnoodel named Sophie, will join hundreds of other dogs and owners at the Paws for the Cause event, which will be held on Fox Chase’s campus (333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia) on October 24th at 8:00 a.m. Participants will enjoy a one-mile walk with their dogs around the Center grounds, as well as contests, prizes, and giveaways from local vendors.
In order to reach her fundraising goal of $2,500, Ariel has taken several steps, including emailing friends and family, promoting the event through her and her sister’s schools, and hanging up flyers at local businesses. Her efforts are part of her mitzvah project—an involved service project that must be completed by all Bar and Bat mitzvah candidates.
“As part of entering that next phase of life, it’s important to recognize the need to do good deeds for others,” explains Ariel’s mother, Sandy Silverman.
“We are delighted that Ariel has decided to raise money for Paws for the Cause as her service project,” says Linda Devlin, who took the lead in planning this year’s event along with her husband Bob. “It’s a great way to introduce the junior crowd to the concept of philanthropy through a fun, family-friendly, low-cost event.”
The Devlins have also been touched by cancer. Bob Devlin is a two-time cancer survivor who was treated for both prostate and head and neck cancer at Fox Chase.
“Fox Chase just feels like family to us. It may be a smaller Center, but they have everything here that you need, plus more personal attention,” says Linda.
This year’s Paws for the Cause is tied in with Fox Chase’s “Love Versus Cancer” initiative, which aims to honor and promote the strength and hope that love brings to the challenge of confronting cancer. The movement is anchored by a YouTube video entitled “Wag” that features Fox Chase's pet therapy dog Mary Margaret (also a Hurricane Katrina survivor) and her canine friends.
Registration for this year’s Paws for the Cause event will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 24th, and the walk begins at 9:45 a.m. For a $25 registration fee, plus $10 for each additional dog, participants will receive a T-shirt and doggie bandana. They can also pick up freebies from the three sponsors of the event—As You Wish Promotions, 7-11, and Metropolitan Veterinary Associates—as well as browse the tables of a variety of pet-related vendors.
For more information, visit www.foxchase.org/giving/paws-cause. To sponsor Ariel Silverman, click on “Sponsor a Participant” and search her name.