In honor of his 40th birthday, Adoption STAR Associate Director Michael Hill is hosting a fundraiser for two great WNY non-profits.
For those of you that subscribe to our agency’s month e-newsletter, you may have read about an upcoming birthday party/fundraiser. For those that have not, we thought you might want to read a bit more about it (and, as a result, consider attending and/or making a donation to two organizations that will put the funds to good use). Here’s an excerpt from the February 2016 e-newsletter, written by Adoption STAR Associate Director Michael Hill:
“I’m observing 15 years of being cancer free this month, in addition to celebrating my 40th birthday. Oddly enough, both of these milestones are happening on the exact same day.
I remember the phone call in December of 2000. In a bizarre twist of irony, my transplant coordinator at Roswell Park Cancer Institute had unknowingly scheduled my bone marrow transplant on my 25th birthday – 2/21/01. When I pointed this out to the transplant coordinator, she was flabbergasted; she promised me that it was just a bizarre coincidence and not something she had planned. I had no reason not to believe her, but my goodness – wasn’t this poetic? I was slated to be “reborn” via the bone marrow transplant on the 25th anniversary of the very day I was born into this world. The beauty of it all was not lost on me.
I decided late last year that I wanted to do something special in honor of my 40th birthday, and the most obvious option was to “give back” to the two organizations that have had the biggest impact on my life – Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and Adoption STAR.
RPCI was an obvious choice, as I would not be alive today without their expert medical care, compassion and continued support of my health and well-being. Although I’m 15 years out, I still go back to RPCI for an annual check up. Interestingly, I always look forward to these appointments, as they afford me the opportunity to visit with medical professionals that I admire and appreciate. And for them? Well, they say seeing me for these once a year visits is the equivalent of a “well baby visit” in pediatrics. They claim these visits are important to them, as seeing survivors doing well and living their lives helps put some wind in their sails – something they deserve and that I’m happy I can provide them with.
The second choice was also an obvious one, as Adoption STAR is the fulfiller of the deepest, truest wish I’ve ever had – the desire to become a parent. Without Adoption STAR’s support and advocacy (which the agency provided to both my family and the birth families that entrusted us with the care of their children), I wouldn’t be a father to the two most amazing little boys; I fear I don’t have the words to accurately express just how much I adore and love them. They are my deepest source of joy and mean the world to me! I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to parent these children, and for this (and so much more), I will be forever grateful to Adoption STAR.
I’m inviting you to consider joining me in support of both RCPI and Adoption STAR by attending and/or donating to my upcoming birthday party/fundraiser. It’s happening on Saturday, February 27th from 6pm to 10pm at Pearl at the Webb Hotel (76 Pearl Street, Buffalo, NY 14202). Food, drink and entertainment are all being provided! For the details (and to RSVP/make a donation), please click here: The Michael Hill Birthday Party/Fundraiser
Please know that if you’re unable to attend the party/fundraiser itself, but you’d like to make a donation (in ANY amount), you can do so via clicking here: The Michael Hill Birthday Party/Fundraiser
Thank you in advance for you support of these fine organizations – two places that change lives in the most profound of ways…and trust me, no one knows and appreciates the significance (and importance) of their respective work more than I do!”