A family fun event to help a Hiram worker’s family fight the financial battle of breast cancer is coming on October 1-2 to mark the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The War Against Breast Cancer Raffle-Auction & Vendor Show features one of the region’s largest raffle-auctions and two incredible days of shopping with many local makers, bakers, crafters, woodworkers and small business owners in a festival atmosphere that includes Cow Patty Bingo, live entertainment and kids activities. Admission and parking to the event are free.
The event, which will be held at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds, is a fundraiser to help breast cancer survivor Amanda Sharps-Martin with her lost wages and out-of-pocket medical expenses. Amanda’s husband, Josh, is a longtime forklift operator at Great Lakes Cheese in Hiram. They have two boys, Tavon, 13, and Kyler, 10.
Amanda, 42, was diagnosed last year with Stage II breast cancer but learned in June that her cancer has progressed to Stage IV and has spread to her bones. The registered nurse at Trumbull Memorial Hospital for 17 years now faces another surgery, more chemotherapy, more time away from work and more medical bills. She already endured three surgeries, six months of chemotherapy and 10 months of missed paychecks last year. The Martins have relied on friends and family until now. The Southington Township family is reaching a financial breaking point.
The Raffle-Auction, formerly known as a Chinese Auction, will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 1. It will offer more than 200 quality items up for bid including Kalahari, Kings Island and Splash Lagoon passes, a flat-screen TV, a scratch-off Lottery ticket tree and wreath, a chance to win a visit with Santa Claus, as well as gift certificates to other family fun parks, sporting events and popular restaurants. General item tickets are 2 for $1. Tickets for items valued at $100 or more are $1 each and tickets for items valued at $300 or more are $5 each. Winners do not need to be present for the 6:15 p.m. drawing, which will be streamed live online.
The Vendor Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 1 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 2. It will feature roughly 40 indoor and outdoor sellers offering everything from gourmet cookies, sweets and dog treats to woodcrafts and seasonal décor to jewelry, bath and beauty items as well as other handcrafted items and popular direct sales.
The event, which is sponsored by the Mullee Family/Boss Babes LLC, Texas Roadhouse – Niles, MJO Photography, Shaker Painting and Saint-Gobain in partnership with the Trumbull County Fair Board, also will feature food trucks, the Ohio Crossroads bluegrass band, princess and superhero characters from Castle on a Cloud Entertainment, archery contests, pumpkin painting and an onsite mobile mammography van. New this year, attendees can follow along as a cow makes a special deposit for the lucky winner of the Cow Patty Bingo contest.
The fundraiser is being organized by This Means War Against Breast Cancer Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed to help breast cancer survivors pay their medical expenses not covered by insurance. The all-volunteer group has raised $117,000 for local breast cancer survivors since its inaugural fundraiser in 2011.
For more information, visit WarAgainstBreastCancer.webs.com or email This Means War Against Breast Cancer at WarAgainstBreastCancer@hotmail.com.
