Uncategorized

How Our Community Made September 2025 Unforgettable

Every year, we get geared up for September’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and when the month ends, we’re overwhelmed by your outpouring of kindness and support. 2025 was no exception, as you showed us how our community comes together to fight for children with cancer.

Picture this: 6,200 CURE Flags standing tall in neighborhoods across the country. For families navigating their cancer journey, each flag said, “You’re not alone. We see you, and we’re fighting alongside you.” Together, these flags lifted spirits and raised an incredible $206,800 for the fight against childhood cancer. And for the first time, a CURE Flag flew in all 50 states!

Our September Community Partners transformed everyday moments into opportunities for impact. Whether you enjoyed a meal at a favorite restaurant, grabbed your morning coffee, or dropped spare change into a Coins4CURE collection, you made fighting childhood cancer part of your daily routine. Through these partnerships, you helped raise more than $57,000 to advance our mission.

The Hero Wall shared our brave CURE Kids stories, and you responded with remarkable generosity, contributing over $10,000 to fuel critical research and support families who need it most.

The 2025 Corporate Challenge brought together companies across the region for friendly competition and raised more than $108,000! The dedication and competitive spirit of each business will fuel groundbreaking research and provide crucial support to families facing childhood cancer. Congratulations to our Grand Champion, Deloitte, for raising an incredible $26,356!

Students and communities carried the banner of hope through 15 Gold Out games. From the Savannah area to communities throughout the state, these touching tributes reminded us that students, parents, teachers, and fans are united in this fight. Many of the games hosted honored children and showed them a wonderful time.

Each of your individual actions, whether buying a flag, supporting a business partner, attending a Gold Out game, or competing with colleagues, merged into something powerful. Together, you’ve proven that when it comes to our fight, there are no small contributions, only the incredible impact we create when children are the focus.

Thank you for joining us. Your compassion and dedication continue to light the way toward a better tomorrow for children with cancer.

A group of longtime friends at Savannah Country Day School are putting their hearts, hands, and sewing machines to work for young cancer patients in their community. The initiative, called Care Wear for CURE, was born when sophomore Margaret and her mother came up with an idea to create comfortable, port-friendly clothing for children undergoing cancer treatment.

What started as a learning experience with two of their grandmothers has blossomed into a full-fledged mission. The team of young ladies – Margaret, Olivia, Tennyson, Clara, Saylor, and Katherine – have been friends since their early school days, and now they’re channeling their friendship into a force for good.

The project got an early boost when a company generously donated shirts and dresses for the girls to practice their sewing skills. Through trial and error, and with guidance from their experienced grandmothers, they refined their approach. They discovered that snap closures were more comfortable than zippers for young patients, and they added special pockets that could hold small toys so the child could keep their favorite things close by.

The enthusiasm of these young entrepreneurs is infectious. They’ve created an Instagram page that’s already attracting support, with high school students sending spontaneous donations. To raise additional funds, the girls have organized bake sales and crafted necklaces, using the proceeds to create more clothing and assemble tote bags filled with toys and gift cards for families in treatment. You can find them on Instagram as @carewearforcure.

So far, the team has completed ten pieces and is now working on customizable clothing, incorporating each child’s favorite colors and interests into the designs. They’re even planning to expand their line to include pajamas through a partnership with a Savannah-based favorite, LAKE Pajamas. They were recently able to deliver the first sets to children in treatment at Memorial Health Dwaine & Cynthia Willett Children’s Hospital of Savannah.

This initiative is particularly special because it brings together multiple generations –grandmothers passing down their sewing skills, mothers supporting their daughters’ vision, and young women using these gifts to comfort children. Care Wear for CURE shows that sometimes the most meaningful projects begin with a simple idea and a willing heart.

In the world of childhood cancer, heroes come in many forms. Some wear white coats, others don nursing scrubs, and then there are those who wield drumsticks and a heart of gold. Brit Turner, the founding drummer of Blackberry Smoke, was one such hero — a man whose rhythm not only moved feet but also touched countless hearts.

Brit’s journey with CURE began in 2009 when his daughter was diagnosed with stage-4 neuroblastoma. For two grueling years, the Turner family navigated the storm of childhood cancer, finally reaching remission. But for Brit, this wasn’t the end of the story — it was just the beginning.

Where others might have stepped back, grateful for their own child’s recovery, Brit stepped forward. He made a promise: “When my daughter was diagnosed, I felt completely helpless and I made a promise to help people going through the same thing.” It was a promise he kept until his last breath.

Through Blackberry Smoke, Brit orchestrated the raising and donating of over $700,000 to childhood cancer organizations. But numbers, impressive as they are, fail to capture the essence of Brit’s impact. It was in the quiet, often anonymous acts of kindness that Brit’s true character shone brightest.

Picture a single mother struggling to keep a roof over her family’s head while her child battles cancer. Brit, moved to tears by her story, silently paid this stranger’s mortgage for six months. Or the hundreds of nurses at the Aflac Cancer Center receiving light-up shoes — a gesture of appreciation from a man most had never met. These weren’t publicity stunts; they were the actions of a man whose empathy knew no bounds.

Brit had a unique ability to turn conversations away from himself, always more interested in the stories and needs of others. When we shared tales of families in need, Brit’s eyes would immediately well up. His response was always the same: “What can we do to help?”

Even when faced with his own glioblastoma diagnosis in 2022, Brit’s resolve to help children with cancer only strengthened. He approached his own battle with the same courage and grace he had witnessed in so many children, all while continuing his mission to support others.

To us at CURE, Brit wasn’t just a supporter or a donor — he was family. He was the brother who shows up unannounced with exactly what you need, the friend who listens without judgment, and the warrior who fights tirelessly for a cause bigger than himself.

As we move forward, we carry Brit’s spirit with us. The Brit Turner Family Fund at CURE will continue his legacy, helping children and families who need it most. But perhaps the greatest tribute we can pay to Brit is to approach our mission with the same love, empathy, and selflessness that he exemplified every day.

Brit Turner left an indelible mark on the childhood cancer community — not just through his music or his fundraising, but through the countless lives he touched with his kindness and compassion. He showed us that true heroism lies in the quiet, consistent acts of love that change lives one at a time.

*In loving memory of Brit Turner (1967-2024) — a devoted father and husband, a talented musician, a tireless advocate, and a true friend to all who knew him and to countless others he never met but held close to his heart.