Does your hospital need a free Brady Buggy® Wagon? The Hugs for Brady Foundation has 20 of our patented Brady Buggy® Wagons ready and waiting to deliver to your children’s facility right now! Thanks to funding from a grant, Hugs for Brady has a free Brady Buggy® Wagon to give out right now! We provide these amazing wagons to hospitals and facilities across the United States. While we prioritize institutions with pediatric oncology units, we consider other sites as well. If you aren’t familiar with Brady Buggy® Wagons, they are constructed specifically for young patients. They include a trailer hitch to… [Read More]
Brady Buggy Wagons
10 Years Making a Difference, 10 Years Making it Better
We are celebrating the Hugs for Brady Foundation’s 10th Anniversary! That’s 10 amazing years of helping children with pediatric cancer in countless ways. And none of it would have been possible without you—our generous and loyal supporters. This very special milestone reminds us why we started Hugs for Brady and motivates us to honor Brady’s name each and every year moving forward so that children battling cancer know there is hope. In honor of Hugs for Brady Foundation’s 10th Anniversary, take a look at some of the awesome achievements of our first ten years. Click the tabs to read more.
2020 Wagon Volunteer of the Year
Roy G. Svenson, the 2020 Winter Gala Wagon Volunteer honoree, has shown extraordinary commitment and compassion in his support of the Brady Buggy Wagon campaign. Mr. Svenson has supported and distributed 18 Wagons in the Illinois area during the past 6 years. A native of the Windy City, Roy worked as a retail branch manager and community banker in Chicago for 47 years, as well as at the National Security Bank of Chicago (now US Bank) and the Chicago Community Bank (now Byline Bank). He attended the University of Illinois at Navy Pier (now University of Illinois Chicago-UIC) and received… [Read More]
A Letter from a Sick Child’s Mother
Letters like this one from Zion’s mom, Sara, inspire us. What may seem impossible for families like theirs, you make possible. It’s an exciting time for the Hugs for Brady Foundation. We had a record-setting year from the opening of New Jersey’s first pediatric cancer research lab at Rutgers Cancer Institute, to receiving a grant that allowed us to deliver Brady Buggy® wagons nationwide. It is all thanks to the generous gifts from donors like you. As we celebrate our successes, we also see the devastating reminders of why we need to keep fighting. In August we marked what would have been… [Read More]
IT’S OFFICIAL! Sparky Lyle is Coming to the HFB Winter Gala!
Sparky Lyle, Manager Emeritus of the Somerset Patriots, will be signing autographs at the Hugs for Brady Winter Gala on March 5th, 2016. Lyle was the first American League reliever to capture a Cy Young Award (1977) and ranks among the all-time leaders with 238 career saves. Between 1967-1980, Lyle had more saves than anyone else in the AL (231). He had a sixteen-year Major League career and played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago White Sox. Lyle won back-to-back World Series with the Yankees in 1977 and 1978. Lyle was the field manager for… [Read More]
Brady Buggy® Wagon Generously Donated to NY-Presbyterian Hospital
As a former parochial school teacher for over 30 years, Marie SantaCroce has always had a special place in her heart for children. And that only grew after she was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010 and treated at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital where her sister Joan was her stem cell donor. She was no longer able to teach, but wanted to continue giving back. For the past few years, Marie, her husband, Joe, and sister, Joan have been donating “Josh Dogs” to NYP through volunteer work with the Kings County American Legion Auxiliary in Brooklyn. Josh Dogs are plush golden retrievers developed to help alleviate… [Read More]
A Truckload of New Toys for the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital
Happy Halloween! Candy rots your teeth, so instead, we donated TOYS to fill the entire Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. Sherrie Wells was on a mission as she and several volunteers collected toys, sorted through them, and lovingly filled an entire truck to the brim. The doors literally had to be “bungeed” shut! Children get cancer 365 days a year, not just around the holidays, and we thought BRAND NEW toys were better than candy this Halloween! We want to thank Kari Mastro for the very warm welcome! Kari Mastro MSN, RN, NEA-BC is the Vice President & Chief Nursing Officer of… [Read More]
A Wedding Registry for Charity Update
Back in March, we told you about an amazing couple who were forgoing a typical wedding registry in order to give back. Instead of asking for the usual registry items, Lita and Carlos asked their loved ones to celebrate their marriage through a donation to the Hugs For Brady Foundation. Lita and Carlos were fortunate enough to raise over $5,500 for the foundation. With this money they are helping to create 5 Brady Buddy Wagons. They are still receiving donations and hope raise enough for a sixth Brady Buddy Wagon. We’d love to congratulate the newlyweds and thank them from the bottom of our hearts… [Read More]
Hugs for Brady acknowledged by the RWJUH Foundation on Lifetime Donor Wall
The Hugs for Brady Foundation has been acknowledged by the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Foundation on their Lifetime Donor wall. This distinct recognition is only given to donors that have given in excess of $100,000. Hugs for Brady’s donations have exceeded that number and we will continue to support this hospital and the beautiful children battling cancer, who spend countless hours at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Robert Wood Johnson Health System 10 Plum Street, Suite 910, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-418-8290 (phone) | 732-418-8379 (fax) | www.rwjuh.edu This past October, a donation from Hugs for Brady was used to help to renovate The… [Read More]
5 Year Old Oncology Patient, Alexa, Throws First Pitch
We had a great time at Hugs for Brady Day at the Somerset Patriots Game this past month. Hugs for Brady Day took place on Father’s Day and was proudly sponsored by The Palace at Somerset Park. The Somerset Patriots donated a portion of ticket sales to Hugs for Brady and even more money was raised for the foundation through the 50/50 Raffle. Thanks again to our AMAZING volunteers, without you, this day would not be possible. The day was filled with great family events like father / child catch, kids run the bases, an autograph session with the players,… [Read More]
UNC Children’s Test Drives Their New Brady Buggy®
On May 5th the UNC Children’s received a new Brady Buggy® wagon. It is not only the first wagon for the hospital but also the first for the state of North Carolina. Patients along with their parents and UNC Children’s staff couldn’t wait try out their Brady Buggy wagon by taking a few laps around the floor. Also present was Kellie Brockman. Kellie is one Hugs for Brady’s biggest supporters. She has been life-long friends with Sherrie Wells (founder of Hug for Brady) and was like an aunt to Brady. Kellie is currently employed at Transitions LifeCare in Raleigh and was able to be… [Read More]
Allstate, Hugs For Brady Foundation Bring Joy To Cancer Facility
By CHARLES W. KIM SOMERSET, NJ — It was almost Christmas in April as David Basile and members of his Allstate Insurance office in Kendall Park pulled into the ProCure Proton Therapy Center Wednesday afternoon. After a few trips from Mr. Basile’s vehicle, a Hugs For Brady Foundation “Brady Buggy” overflowing with new toys for the center’s younger patients sat on the floor waiting to spread joy during what could be a very trying time. “We treat so many children here,” Pediatric Oncologist Dr. Eugen Hug said on behalf of Procure. “We treat the entire family.”Dr. Hug, who has… [Read More]
A Dollar and a Dream
Match Zach’s $1.00 donation to help fund a Brady Buggy Wagon! Zachary Denberg is an eager 9-1/2 year old who is in 3rd grade. His teacher has given his class a project called “A Dollar and a Dream”. Zachary has donated his dollar to the Hugs for Brady Foundation in hopes that you will match his dollar in helping fund more Brady Buggy® Wagons for local hospitals. Zachary’s passion is deep routed. His little brother Xander was a friend of Brady’s. Xander and Brady were neighbors on the 2nd floor of Robert Wood Johnson/Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital. Like Brady, Xander had cancer too. Zachary… [Read More]
A Wedding Registry for Charity
By Lita Bernal Carlos and I have been very fortunate and already have everything we could need in life so we would love to make a difference to other people, especially kids. The Hugs for Brady Foundation has stolen a piece of our hearts in the way that they help kids battling cancer. Please take a moment to visit their page at www.hugsforbrady.org and find out about all the wonderful things they represent and make happen to help other families’ struggles a little easier. Brady’s incredible and courageous parents run this charity, and they have very little overhead so virtually… [Read More]
Toy Drive and Recent Donations
TOY DRIVE EXTENDED UNTIL 4/28/15! David Basile Allstate Insurance – Toy Drive With your generous donations and the Allstate Middlesex and Allstate Kendall Park agency match program, a Brady Buggy has been purchased which will transport children between treatments at the Procure Therapy Center in Somerset. The Buggy creates a familiar and fun experience during a very difficult time for children dealing with the treatment. We’d love for you to join with us in providing new, unwrapped toys to fill the Brady Buggy before it gets delivered to Procure in Somerset in April! Drop off points are at the Allstate offices in… [Read More]
WATCH NOW! The Hugs for Brady Foundation on NBC’s Today Show
Click play to see a video of Hugs for Brady being featured on the TODAY show! Hugs for Brady’s 2015 goal is to place a Brady Buggy Wagon in every cancer wing, in every children’s hospital, in the United States. This is only possible with your help! During Brady’s countless visits to hospitals and specialists, Sherrie and Michael realized that the children in pediatric hospitals often traveled from one end of the hospital to the next dragging a heavy and scary chemotherapy pumping unit. It was very RARE for Brady not to be hooked up to his IV, even if he was not getting… [Read More]
Hugs for Brady on NBC’s Today Show!
Don’t miss Hugs For Brady on NBC’s TODAY Show, March 10th at (approximately) 9:40am! The segment will showcase how having access to the Brady Buggy can make a child with cancer’s hospital experience immeasurably better. “When I was in treatment, I was already too big to enjoy riding in a Brady buggy. But I saw how much enjoyment all of the younger kids got from riding in them. When my grandmother wanted to donate a Brady buggy, I wanted it to go to my oncologist, Dr. Weiss for his patients. He had moved to Maine Medical Center. So last year… [Read More]