PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Signs of survivors, fighters, and fallen angels from childhood cancer lined the parking lot of Walmart as community members gathered to "dunk" their peers in an effort to raise funds to fight the illness. 

 

Two local moms, Christen Simmons and Stephanie Maschino, whose lives were greatly affected by childhood cancer collaborated with local organizations to gather funds for their cause.

 

Saturday's event included a informational booths, music, food, children's activities and a chance to drop various civic leaders into a dunk tank for a good cause.

 

All donations are going to the pediatric oncology departments at the Dana-Farber Center and Bay State Medical to go toward childhood cancer research. 

 

Maschino's son Tony died in 2016 from inoperable brainstem glioma and since then she has been working to continue the fight against the disease to help others afflicted. 

 

"Sadly there isn't really a cure for childhood brain cancers at this time, for most of them at least. ... this isn't really for us, it's for everybody else. We're trying really hard to make it so that awareness and fundraising is improved," Maschino said. 

 

Simmon's son Cam is a three-year survivor of cancer. 

 

Last year the duo met in Park Square and held signs about childhood cancer to raise awareness and this year, they wanted to do something bigger. So they started contacting organizations to make the fundraiser possible. 

 

"I should say hospices, the Pediatric Palliative Care Unit, they were incredible. They reached out to us and asked if they could help us. ... They know what they're doing when it comes to fundraising ... We've had a lot of support from them. And I think that without their brains, we probably wouldn't have been so successful," Simmons said. 

 

The Pediatric Palliative Care Unit is one of eight programs in the state that through funding from the Department of Public Health works with children from birth to 22 years old with life-limiting illnesses.

 

"We have 40 children throughout the Berknhires that we currently have on service. We provide nursing case management, social work, art therapy, music therapy, massage therapy, spiritual counseling or spiritual counselors. ... funding and volunteer services," nurse case manager Simon Dembitzer said.

 

They also bring families together as a community, get the community involved, and get to know the program better, art therapist and mental health counselor Kate Cimini said.

 

There are not a lot of organizations in the Berkshires dedicated to cancer support for any age. One of the nonprofit organizations, Moments House, closed two years ago, a casualty of COVID-19, Simmons said. 

 

Organizations that participated included Strong Little Souls Foundation, Pediatric Palliative Care Program, and Peace Train Tees, among others. 

 

Strong Little Souls Foundation was founded in 2014 by Madison Quinn when she was just 13 to help families affected by pediatric cancer. 

 

"I'm here today at this dunk tank event to help raise awareness for childhood cancer during the month of September to go gold and to show support for my community," she said. 

 

Strong Little Souls sends care packages, offer financial assistance, and grant wishes for children battling cancer.  

 

"Childhood cancer is important for several reasons, one of which being currently only receives 4 percent of the nation's budget for cancer research," Quinn said. 

 

"It's severely underfunded and it is not rare -- 275 kids will be diagnosed with cancer so it's very important to be out here to be doing what we are doing today to help spread awareness."

 

One of the fundraising opportunities offered doesn't even require donators to open their wallet. 

 

Participants can take 60-second survey, each of which generates $2 in funds for childhood cancer by texting "CONTRIBUTE" to 90412 or by going here.

 

Participants can complete 75 surveys through the end at the end of September to raise $150.

 

Quinn connected with Maschino and Simmons when their sons were diagnosed with cancer. 

 

"They both have been great supporters, the Strong Little Souls have continued to help. They have both been great with spreading awareness and trying to increase funding. They're both great advocates for their boys and they're great voices for the child with cancer community," Quinn said.

 

Local community leaders including Dalton Police Chief Deanna Strout, Pittsfield High School resource Officer Jessica Godfroy, Pittsfield High School Dean of Students Lavante Wiggins, and many more were dunked during the fundraiser. 

 

"We're happy to be here today. And this is a great cause. I think that most people until childhood cancer affects you, you don't really think too much about it," Godfroy said after being dunked for a half hour. 

 

"And so it's nice to see the community come together and support the families that this terrible illness affects, and hopefully get more community members involved."