OUR CAUSE HOW WE HELP

ONE STEP. . .

ONE LAP. . .

ONE MILE. . .

ONE HIKE. . .

ONE DOLLAR

at a time, you can help U.P. families battling childhood cancer.

An initiative of the District 10 Lions Club of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,

I Trekked the U.P. supports Upper Peninsula kids and their families through their battles with cancer. This fundraiser challenges you to achieve a personal best for a great cause. Trek outside for a snowshoe session, a run on the treadmill, or a simple walk and track those miles/hours/steps and donate based on what you achieved!

Help us help them.

I want to help. Graphic displaying a family with one child in need
Line graph indicating a rise in families battling childhood cancer within our cause. At the start of our program, we had 3. Now there are 19 families and counting. Infographic depicting the approximate number of children in the United States diagnosed with pediatric cancer in 2020, that number is close to 11,000. Pie chart displaying the percentage of pediatric cancer patients who reach full recovery. As of 2020, 84 percent of kids diagnosed with cancer fully recover.

Since our project began, we have seen a rise in the number of families living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with a child battling cancer.

As of today, that number has more than quadrupled.

Data acquired from “UP Lions Clubs reaching out for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month” article written by Ann Wood for The Daily Mining Gazette on September 8th, 2020.

Meet our heroes

Rylan, a brave young boy with high-risk neuroblastoma holding his favorite stuffed teddy bear. Preslie, a super-strong 4-year-old undergoing treatment at Children's Hospital, in Milwaukee Wisconsin poses with a fist toward the sky like a superhero. Abram, a beautiful 1-year-old boy who passed away July 2, 2019 from a choriocarcinoma brain tumor.
Hand-drawn children's drawings of a baseball cap, a stuffed dog, and a playful puppy. Hand-drawn children's drawings of a superhero mask, a superhero cape, and an invisible hero flying with a cape and gloves on. Hand-drawn children's drawings of a pair of hearts (one big, one small), and a poem in handwritten type written by Abram's mother after his passing.

RYLAN

Rylan, an Upper Peninsula 5-year-old who is being treated for high-risk neuroblastoma, is one of the children the Lions have helped.

His father is very grateful for the assistance as Rylan receives treatment at the University of Michigan hospitals in Ann Arbor, including surgery, chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants, and more. This treatment requires lengthy hospitalizations, keeping Rylan and his mom away from his father and siblings for months.

BACK TO TOP OF HERO CONTAINER BUTTON
A happy cartoon person riding a bike along the road in nice (but cold) weather.

ONE MILE

Track your bike ride, and donate per mile to our cause.

A happy cartoon person walking along the wintery lakeshore.

ONE STEP

Start counting your steps of your daily walk.

A happy cartoon person skating on a frozen lake, doing laps.

ONE HOUR

Track how many hours you skated today.

TREK & TRACK!

Any activity can be entered for this fundraiser, it's up to you! Simply donate directly below, or accumulate pledges in your own mini-walk / hike / snowshoe / bike...whatever-a-thon! In these colder months, track your hours or miles on the treadmill, and donate those to our cause.

Due to the problems COVID-19 has on getting together, I Trekked the U.P. focuses on individual goals a person can achieve safely. You can download our Trek & Track sheet to help you keep record of your activity.

Trek & Track Sheet Cartoon spreadsheet icon