Goodbye summer, hello fall.  And as much as I enjoy summer, September is my favorite month – our anniversary, the start of Fall and cooler temperatures, football season, autumn leaves, etc.  But fall also means that winter is just around the corner and that truly depresses me,   UGH!  So I look on the bright side – Brainstormin’ is just 15 days away!  I would be lying if I said that I was not excited about what lies ahead in the immediate horizon, and in the coming months.

Tomorrow night, the CTBTA is hosting its second annual Night of Hope, a farm dinner at the beautiful Rosedale Farms & Vineyards in Simsbury.  I have been to several farm-to-table dinners and by far, this was the best one I had ever been to, so the expectations for tomorrow are high!  Also coming soon is the new website for the Yale Brain Tumor Center, which was a collaborative effort with nurses, care coordinators and doctors at Yale.  Not long from now, this new website will be revealed and hopefully be a tool and be a resource for brain tumor patients, survivors and caregivers.  Next week, the CTBTA reconvenes its business and we’re hosting brain tumor patients, survivors and caregivers for Brain Tumors and Cupcakes at NoRA’s Cupcakes in West Hartford, CT.  We’ll also meet as a board to make our allocations to hospitals and brain tumor programs throughout the state.   Then, in October, we’ll be walking on the Path of Hope, in a new location this year (Olde Mistick Village).

And of course, Brainstormin’ on September 16th.  As some of you already know, we received another great surprise earlier this week when the owner of Stony Creek Brewery informed me of Charity Wednesdays at the brewery.  To put it simply, every Wednesday, the brewery donates $1 per every beer sold to a designated charity.  The idea proposed by Stony Creek was that, during the entire month of September, every Wednesday’s charity night would be designated to the Yale Brain Tumor Center to assist our fundraising efforts. Humbled and appreciative, I graciously accepted this idea, but more than anything, I am proud in knowing that the work I am doing is not going unnoticed.  To be able to help the doctors and staff who saved my life so they can continue to develop research and continue saving lives means more than anything, and to see the generosity of businesses and individuals wanting to contribute is awe-inspiring.  As I told Yale when I shared this news, never did I think that eight years ago, I would find anything positive in this whole experience, but everyday I continue to be amazed and inspired.  Thank you Stony Creek Brewery for joining us as a partner in this quest to find the cure!

Thanks to all of our corporate and individual sponsors for your support.  We are close to this year’s goal and remain hopeful to hit and surpass it, but we can still use your help.  It is a night that you will not want to miss, so contact me for your ticket before they’re gone.

I look forward to seeing all of you on the 16th and encourage you to help find the cure by visiting Stony Creek on Wednesdays during the month of September.  I also look forward to seeing you at some of our upcoming events as well!

Cheers!