Taking One For The (Cancer Center) Team

John Buckley, CEO and president of Gerber Federal Credit Union, braces himself for a dunking on Thursday, July 19, at the National Baby Food Festival in Fremont.

Gerber Memorial thanks community for making cancer center dunk tank fundraiser a success
FREMONT – Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial today thanked the Newaygo County community for helping raise more than $500 for the local cancer center, by chipping in loose change for a dunk tank during the recently concluded National Baby Food Festival in Fremont.
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“Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial is extremely grateful for all the people who donated to the cancer center dunk tank fundraiser and support a local resource that ensures people can get the care they need right here in Newaygo County,” said Loretta Towne, Spectrum Health Foundation Gerber Memorial specialist. “It was great to see people from all backgrounds and of all ages step up in the fight against cancer, a couple of dollars at a time. The best part was seeing folks line up to get the volunteers wet and have a lot of fun while supporting a good cause.”

Gerber Memorial expressed its gratitude to all the volunteers who sat in the tank, an hour at a time, in support of the fundraiser. The dunk tank volunteers were John Buckley, CEO and president of Gerber Federal Credit Union, and Brent Deur, GFCU senior branch manager; Mike Paige, local attorney and Attorney Referee for the Family Division of the Circuit Court; Clifford Kopp, representing the Special Olympics District 11; and Gerber Memorial staff Justin Schoenlein,  Meghan Crawford and Jen Prewitt.

“We express our deepest thanks to everyone that worked together to make this fundraiser happen, especially the brave volunteers who stepped into the dunk tank and took a dip in cold water for the sake of supporting our local cancer center,” Towne said.

The idea for the inaugural dunk tank fundraiser came up when several Newaygo County businesses and organizations were informed by the American Cancer Society that the annual Relay for Life would no longer be held in Newaygo County. The businesses and groups, working with Gerber Memorial, sought a way to honor cancer patients and raise funds that would go back to the community. Hearing of the plight, the Fremont Chamber of Commerce proposed the idea of the dunk tank to Gerber Memorial and the local businesses, which included Gerber Federal Credit Union and Nestle Gerber. The dunk was open two hours each day from Wednesday to Saturday during the Baby Food Festival, and raised $501 in about seven hours. It is part of Gerber Memorial’s centennial celebration of 100 years of connecting with the community.
The Spectrum Health Cancer Center at Gerber Memorial saw 2,912 patients this past year, an increase of 150 patients compared to a year ago, with many of them from the Newaygo County area.
For questions about the NBFF or the Gerber Memorial dunk tank fundraiser, contact the Fremont Chamber of Commerce at 231.924-0770.

Sydney Baird, right, co-coordinator of the National Baby Food Festival where the Gerber Memorial cancer center dunk tank fundraiser was held July 18-21, presents the donations to Loretta Towne, Spectrum Health Foundation Gerber Memorial specialist, on Thursday, July 26.