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Like thousands of other families across America, the Steve Ries family has been touched by the ominous, life-altering hand of cancer.
It will be one year on June 1st when Steve and his wife, Jodie, lost their 12-year-old son, Ben, to a cancerous brain tumor, a loss, Steve explains, that words alone cannot fully articulate.
“It’s been a tough time for our family,” said Steve, a livestock consultant, avid hunter and owner of Top Gun Kennels (www.topgungsps.com) specializing in German shorthaired pointers. “We rely on our faith a great deal. It has helped us a lot. Faith, family and friends are the most important things in our lives.”
The Ries family story is equal parts heart-breaking and inspirational. Heart-breaking because they lost a son at such a tender age and long before he could live out his hopes and dreams. Inspirational because Steve and his family, as well as a growing and committed group of others, have made it their life’s work to help other families coping with life-threatening illnesses.
Ben was diagnosed with cancer in April 2000. A few years later, as Ben endured treatments for his tumor, Steve was attending a convention for his job in Des Moines. At the motel, he found himself watching a television show, a show, he says, that triggered an idea.
“That’s when the wheels started turning,” Steve said.
He wanted to give back, and he had the rough outline of an idea to do just that. Today, the Aiming For A Cure Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Steve and supported by the Children’s Miracle Network, has been up and running for three years, raising thousands of dollars ($100,000 in 2005 alone) through celebrity pheasant hunts, annual banquets, charity auctions and donations from caring citizens like you.
The foundation’s stated mission is to raise funds to benefit pediatric oncology patients and families at the Children’s Hospital of Iowa, which, Steve says, is one of the country’s premiere children’s hospitals. The foundation, which has also donated money for cancer research, has a board of directors and holds regular meetings, which are more like brainstorming sessions on how to raise more money for the foundation.
“It’s a special place,” said Steve of the children’s hospital, located at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. “Kids come there from all over the world to get treatment. And when they do, many of the families need help with the basic necessities. And that’s where we step in and try to help. I don’t know if we’re ever going to find a cure for cancer. But even if we don’t find a cure, it’s important we support the families who have cancer.”
Added Steve: “Every dollar that’s donated goes straight to the kids. We don’t have any administrative fees. If you donate one dollar, it’s going to the kids.”
For every needy family, the foundation cuts them a check for $500. The money, Steve says, is spent on gas, parking, phone cards, food and other necessities that insurance doesn’t cover. “Every year, in honor of my son, we sponsor two $5,000 shopping sprees for families to buy toys, games, beds, computers and refrigerators, things they need to adjust from being away from home and away from their friends,” Steve said. “We try to make their stay as comfortable as possible.”
Steve says none of the foundation’s good deeds would be possible without sponsors, and he gives high praise to Hunter’s Specialties (HS), the foundation’s title sponsor, and Crestliner boats and many others. “They’re invaluable. I can’t thank them enough,” he said. “Our work would be impossible without their support.”
Said Tim Anderson, HS marketing director: “Steve Ries came to see us three years ago looking for a title sponsor to get behind his event. After listening to his vision, we immediately jumped onboard. I will always be a part of AFAC because of its mission to assist and comfort children going through the fight for their life.”
As the anniversary of his son’s death nears, Steve, despite a heavy heart, is buoyed by the memories he and his son shared during his short life. “He was always up early with me in the morning, helping me do chores for the dogs, and he was always involved with dog training at a very early age,” Steve said. “He loved the dogs. He was always part of the kennel.”
Then there’s that special turkey hunt that took place in spring 2004. That day, young Ben called in a gobbler for his Old Man. “That experience, well, you can’t really put it into words,” Steve said. “Let’s just say it was a special day that I’ll never forget.”
My hat is off to the Ries family for having the courage and strength to turn heart-break into inspiration and a force for good. May their son rest in peace.
For more information about the Aiming For A Cure Foundation, or to make a tax-deductible donation, see www.aimingforacure.com. Checks can be mailed to the following address:
AFAC
C/O Iowa State Bank
Attn: Shelly Kruse
PO Box 1700
Iowa City, IA. 52244-1700
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