Good Things Take Time

 

I spent Sunday in Niantic, CT at the New England Coastal Lacrosse (NECLAX) year-end tournament, the Coastal Jam.  It’s an annual event, where hundreds of youth lacrosse athletes and their families convene for a friendly competition, and celebrate another season of lacrosse.  Play4TheCure is privileged to join the event this year as a charity partner, working with the teams to raise money for cancer research and shine a spotlight on the game of lacrosse.  Play4TheCure is a signature fundraising program of the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR). Through this program, young athletes use their passion for sports to “Play4” loved ones affected by cancer.  The program started as a tribute to a mother fighting cancer and has grown to a powerful movement of tens of thousands of student athletes, playing for the cause. Now Play4TheCure is taking hold in lacrosse programs like NECLAX.

But those of us raising money for cancer research know that, like the research itself, good things take time to develop.  Fundraising, even for important cancer research is difficult.  Basic, exploratory research is critical – without this work, there would not be the breakthroughs that we hear so much about.  But because it is investing in discoveries that may take time, it requires patience, and the development of relationships between donors and the scientific community. Likewise, it will take time for Play4TheCure to become a tradition at the NECLAX Coastal Jam.  But we’ve learned that, over time, as the relationships get stronger, and partnerships solidify, the results are extraordinary. In field hockey last year, we had over 600 teams dedicate a game to Play4TheCure

Play4TheCure, like all successful fundraising programs, has developed a passionate following of loyal donors. I asked Eli Goldstein, Marketing Manager of Sports Events at NFCR, for his thoughts on the growth of Play4TheCure. He believes in the importance of teaching players the lessons of perseverance and dedication both on and off the field, and knows that it takes time to build traditions.  He says “A Play4TheCure tradition creates a bond between players for years by fostering a meaningful experience for each player. By making Play4TheCure a tradition we can learn from the previous years.”  He adds, “We have over 40 years of experience to know that the key to a breakthrough is patience - to continue to support a scientist until an idea becomes a discovery.”  Good things do not just happen overnight, and it takes years of doing things the right way in order for us to reach our goals. The NECLAX Play4TheCure Coastal Jam can become a tradition, and these communities will have a huge impact on cancer research.

Taking this long term view of building relationships is really at the core of how NFCR funds amazing cancer researchers.  And as I’ve written about in previous posts, philanthropic support for cancer research is critical. It’s best to hear them explain it in their own words.  Listen to Wayne Marasco, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the NFCR Center for Therapeutic Antibody Engineering at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. His research has been funded by the NFCR for 15 years.  He says “studies require a long term commitment to see them through to the end.”  When I first met him he used the words “continuous” and “reliable” to describe the funding he receives from NFCR.  And he talks a lot about the long term relationship he has developed with NFCR.  People who know me will hear me say this all the time – “It’s about relationships.” I appreciate working with people who share my commitment to the long term.