Gold in September continuing tradition of fighting childhood cancer as part of local brother and sister legacy
Annie Bartosz, a sophomore at Arrowhead High School, created Gold In September® after watching her twin brother, Jack, battle cancer for seven years. With Jack’s passing at the age of ten, Annie turned her grief into action. She became determined to turn the world gold in September, with gold and September being the nationally recognized color and month for childhood cancer awareness.
Her mother who is president of the G9 foundation was a recent guest on the CBS 58 News at 4.
"Annie was along throughout the entire fight of Jack's battle, nearly 7 years," recalled Sarah Bartosz. "So, when Jack lost his battle, she was determined to turn the world gold to help every child everywhere so no family felt like ours."
G9 Penny Wars is a week-long project in a school setting that is designed to inspire youth philanthropy, leadership and social entrepreneurship while supporting the mission of Gold In September® to color the world gold so every child, everywhere will survive cancer.
Annie asks other kids to join her in the fight against childhood cancer. According to Annie, “A lot of kids don’t realize they have the potential to make a difference in the world.”
Highlights from last year's events:
•26,000+ students from Wisconsin, Illinois, Texas and Colorado participated in a G9 Youth Program
•28 schools nationwide held a G9 Penny Wars or G9 Youth Program
•G9 Penny Wars raised $42,000+
•Swanson Elementary was the national top fundraising G9 Penny Wars school, raising $4,400+
The goal for 2017-18 is to involve 75,000 students at 75 schools nationwide to help every child, everywhere survive cancer.
Liesl Ackley is Principal at North Lake School where they'll wage war between the classes on Monday.
"Students tell me I really learned what subtraction means," Ackley tells CBS 58 News. "It can be hard to find a fundraiser that all ages come together and it was really nice. Our eight graders even created a flow chart to figure out how to beat the second graders."
G9 believes the penny wars are fun and engaging for the entire school community and instill in children a sense of charity and helps them develop leadership skills.
"I think there is something to be said for kids help kids." added Bartosz. "Everybody can be involved in this."
Awareness and funds raised will be used in full to support the mission of Gold In September®. Utilizing a noble model of inspiring the world to GROW GOLD, G9’s mission is to increase funding for childhood cancer research and initiatives by growing awareness that inspires action so every child, everywhere survives cancer. G9 directly funds Early Phase Trials, bringing the most advanced and promising treatments to children faster.
And while it is called Gold In September, raising awareness for childhood cancer needs emphasis year-round.
To be eligible for incentives, G9 Penny Wars and G9 Youth Programs must be completed by April 1, 2018.
For more information click here
Recently, Gold In September® (G9) was featured at the Milwaukee Brewers “Grow Gold” game as part of a nationwide effort by Major League Baseball to host a Childhood Cancer Awareness Day nationwide.
The Brewers and their opponent, the Washington Nationals, wore gold ribbons on their jerseys to promote the cause.
In addition, players wore gold wristbands as part of their uniforms.
Prior to the game, members of Gold In September® accompanied Eli Hansen, a kindergartner in the Pewaukee School District, as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch.