by: Eilene Rogers
Banner created by Lydia Lee @ Galactic Warrior Productions Logo from RJD Website
The world of music was grief stricken when the legendary Ronnie James Dio passed after a strenuous battle with stomach cancer. Dio was a vocalist in such well known bands as Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Elf, Heaven and Hell and of course, Dio.
Dio ignored the symptoms of his illness for quite some time and so in his wake the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund was formed. Dio’s long term manager and wife, Wendy Dio asked that instead of sending food and flowers to his family, for everyone to donate to the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. Many of us did so, but do not feel as if it was enough. This fund is a non-profit organization.
“The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund was formed to bring awareness and education about cancer with the understanding that cancer screening and prevention is of vital importance in avoiding this deadly disease that robs families of their loved ones,” as stated on the SU&S Facebook page.
For breast cancer awareness there is the Susan G Komen Foundation and every year they have a race to raise money, called “The Race for The Cure.” People should be educated on all forms of cancer especially the forms that men are prone to because men are less likely to go to a doctor.
For the Stand Up and Shout organization, in honor of our beloved Ronnie James Dio a concert should be held traditionally every year near the anniversary of his death.
The SU&S Facebook page further states that the philosophy stems from the notion of “Knowledge Equals Power.” Cancer screening allows people to effectively plan strategies to deal with the disease early on and affords a better chance to overcome the cancer. The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund was formed to bring awareness and education about cancer with the understanding that cancer screening and prevention is of vital importance in avoiding this deadly disease that robs families of their loved ones.”
The mission statement provided by the organization is as follows:
The fund is committed to providing free cancer screening programs and testing to all people regardless of their ability to pay. It will support community outreach programs and help provide the necessary equipment and personnel to test and screen people for cancer. It will also provide financial support to those individuals and families afflicted with cancer that cannot access treatment due to the overwhelming financial burden of medical treatments. The fund is committed to the early detection and prevention of cancer through facilitating access to medical screening and medical educational programs. It will support programs designed to integrate medical knowledge into local communities such as cancer screening programs, education on nutrition in cancer prevention, exercise and overall wellness. The goal of the fund is to reduce the risk of developing life threatening cancers by offering access to preventative medical services, furthering the commitment for patients to access to quality medical care related to cancer, the fund seeks to assist families burdened by the cost of caring for loved ones with cancer.
Many of you may be asking yourselves, “But what can I do to help?”
The first thing you can do is click the banner at the top of this blog or in the sidebar. It will take you to the official Ronnie James Dio website where you can make a donation. You don’t have a credit or debit card? No problem, the fund takes Paypal payments. For those unfamiliar with Paypal, it is an online payment system that may be linked to your bank account and credit cards. The donation is easy and it takes less than five minutes.
Another way you can donate is by making purchases of Dio merchandise off of the official page.
Other ideas include having people donate a dollar for a ticket and have a drawing for prizes. Auctions are a great way to raise money. You can also have a fund raiser dinner party and charge a set amount per plate and send out invitations to people in your community. You can even theme it around Dio. He would probably get a kick out of that. Make Stand Up and Shout about cancer shirts then donate the profits to the organization (this would require permission from the organization).
Our lovely photographer Sarah Dunbar even offered up the idea of a boy toy auction. In this scenario women bid on having dinner with chosen men to be auctioned off. If you own a bar, set aside a Stand Up and Shout Fund Raiser night. You can do this annually or as many times a year as you like, again this can be themed. Throw an annual festival in Dio’s honor for Stand Up and Shout. You can also volunteer to help care for and entertain cancer patients. Studies show that laughing has healing powers and children always love mentors. You can donate time to help out various cancer organizations.
This disease does not discriminate; it will take anyone of any race, creed, color, nationality, religion and age.
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