How You Can Help
Jennifer's at it again!
June 2007
Jennifer Matsui was 10 when she had an idea to raise funds in honor of her cousin, Derek Hoffman, then a 7-year-old patient at MD Anderson. She and a few girlfriends would set up a crafts booth and serve lunch on the street in front of her house in Torrance, California. It would be like a neighborhood block party, only with admission.
They raised $620 that first year. In 2004 the savvy young philanthropists harnessed their girl power and attracted the participation of area merchants and restaurants, netting proceeds of $3,800. The next year a third event raised $5,000. In 2006, Jennifer and her friends raised an amazing $8,000. Through the continued support of both individual donations and Jennifer’s annual fundraisers, the donation total has now grown to $19,840 as of May 2007. This year on July 14, Jennifer and other volunteers will be throwing an extravaganza variety show at the James Armstrong Theatre in Torrance, California. Teens from around the city will come together to perform in live bands, in solo musical acts and as dancers.
Derek’s parents, Yoon and Tom Hoffman, say that Jennifer’s fundraisers were a big factor in being able to create the Derek Hoffman Rhabdomyosarcoma Research Fund following Derek’s passing in the fall of 2003. In addition to funding the rhabdomyosarcoma research fund at
MD Anderson, Jennifer’s proceeds also help support the book cart program for children who are cancer patients and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which honored Derek’s request for a dog of his own by giving him a beagle named Shilo.
The annual fundraiser, says Matsui, is her way of remembering Derek, and of doing something to combat the disease that took his life. “He possessed all the character traits any hero would possess – courage, strength, perseverance and, most of all, hope,” she wrote in a school essay. “He is my hero, and will always be my hero.”
For more information on Jennifer’s annual fundraiser and how you can help fight rhabdomyosarcoma, please visit http://www.teensagainstcancer.org/.